All in My Mind and No One Will Listen

About the Book

After a short, difficult stint in the US Navy, where I developed paranoid schizophrenia, I lived in several places. I lived in Cleveland, Ohio, and the surrounding area, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and Boulder, Colorado, before settling back with my parents. I wrote this book while living with my parents in the 1980s. I felt I had a story to tell, and I had no one to talk to. I told my story with words. I really do not always know what is real and what is not. I have good word association skills and like writing a little to try and say a lot. I wrote this book exclusively in bars and diners. I wrote because, though I was around people, I was alone. This is how I could talk to myself. I wrote my feelings about the experiences I had lived through in my life. This book is a window into my heart and soul. I hope these poems will have meaning to you.

About the Author

I grew up in a small town in New Jersey. I had the typical difficulties in high school. Then I spent some time in the navy. I had some training and worked in the electric shop. However, while serving on a ship, with the situation I found myself in, I developed paranoid schizophrenia.

My life has been a battle to stay on track. I had always dreamed about going to college, but this could not happen for over twenty-five years. I have lived in a few different locations. These were very lonely and difficult times. I did, while still young, move back in with my parents, so far for the duration.

In the 1980s, when this book was written, I never really talked to anyone. Many people were cruel to me. I felt this book was my way of talking. These words mean a lot to me.

Though schizophrenia has stolen my life, I have always tried to contribute to my country, even though there is little an individual can do. I do have my pride, though. Maybe my mind is different, but I like to look at myself as being creative. I might think differently than others, but we are all unique.