Madness By Degrees

I've taken my lead from Buckethead. Sometimes madness comes gradually, by degrees, you can actually watch it unfold, and in it's step by step unfoldment, it actually makes some kind of sense.

So, I located my sock puppet (of course I have one, a relic from another show - it's an actual sock, with silver buttons for eyes, it's got a red flap for a tongue, it's got red lips, dark eyebrows, and blue and green string sprouting out like hair - it's kind of happy and friendly looking - the artistic type), and tried it on, just to see how it might feel. Fit like a glove. So, I have a conference call coming up, I'm expecting fireworks, I need to be calm, detached so I prepare myself, I get myself situated, something to drink, find a comfortable chair, have my phone at the ready, and well, maybe, oh hell, no one's looking, I'll just use the sock puppet just this once. During the call, when I speak, I make the sock puppet's mouth open and close like it's talking. I get off the phone - okay, that went well.

I have to make a trip to the dentist, getting a new tooth, don't you know, and well, maybe I'll just bring the sock puppet along for the ride. I put it in my pocket. On the El, every once in a while, I put my hand in my pocket to make sure the puppet is still there. On the trip back, (I've got a new tooth in my head!), I snake my hand into the sock puppet. I keep my hand in my pocket, but I'm wearing my sock puppet on the way home. My hand is warm, I feel just a little less lonely. I've got a friend.

I do take it off to prepare dinner. I leave it on the table. It looks up at me with those twinkling silver eyes. I know I might be projecting, I know this is sort of crazy, but it actually looks like those eyes are twinkling at me - it almost looks like love.