The Wings of Angels: A Memoir of Madness

122 Pages·2005·0.41 MB·English

by  Sandy Jeffs

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SandyJeffshaslivedwithschizophreniaandallitsmoods
for over twenty-five years. She is a community educator
who speaks to school, university and community groups
about what it is like to live with a mental illness. She has
been published widely and is a prize-winning poet whose
writing has been concerned with madness, domestic
violenceandthehumorousanticsofthewomenwhoplay
midweek ladies’ tennis. Sandy lives with her friends and
animals on the outskirts of Melbourne.
ALSO BY SANDY JEFFS
Poems from the Madhouse
Loose Kangaroos (co-author)
Blood Relations
Confessions of a Midweek Lady:TallTennisTales
THE WINGS
OF ANGELS
A MEMOIR OF MADNESS
Sandy Jeffs
PINIFEX
SpinifexPressPtyLtd
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NorthMelbourne,Vic.3051
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[email protected]
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Firstpublished2004
Copyright©SandyJeffs,2004
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EditedbyJudithRodriguez
CoverdesignbyDebSnibson
TypesetbyClaireWarren
PrintedandboundbyMcPherson’sPrintingGroup
NationalLibraryofAustralia
cataloguing-in-publicationdata
Jeffs,Sandy,1953– .
Thewingsofangels:amemoirofmadness.
ISBN1876756519.
1.Schizophrenia–Poetry. 2.Australianpoetry–Womenauthors.
I.Title.
A821.3
ThisprojecthasbeenassistedbytheCommonwealth
GovernmentthroughtheAustraliaCouncil,itsarts
fundingandadvisorybody.
ForWerner, Hardy and Elke

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
MythanksgotoHardyBrosowandWernerPelzfortheir
critical reading of the manuscript. Thanks also to Anne
Vines who gave her time to read and comment on the
poems.CoralHullgavevaluablefeedbackforwhichIam
grateful. Sarah Ferber and Leigh Dale were always very
encouraging of the work and I thank them for their
enthusiastic support. Judith Rodriguez was a wonderful
editor, challenging me all the way and pointing out the
finer points of the craft of poetry. To all the wonderful
womenatSpinifexPress,whohavesupportedmeoverthe
years, thankyou. I never thought this work would see the
lightofday,butSusanHawthorneandRenateKleinhave
given it a chance to reach out, for which I am ever
grateful. As always, thankyou to Lynne and Felicity, and
Robbie and Dido for just being there.
vii
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements vii
Where My NightmaresWrestled with My Dreams 3
Where Angels Sang 5
TheWings of Angels 7
The Untamed DarkWood 9
Death by a Devouring 11
Standing on the Balcony 13
TheWrath: Eviction 15
The Agony Begins/The Scream 16
Mounting theTumbrel 17
Crossing the Rogue River 19
At the Gate 23
The Prisoner 26
Brave NewVirtualWorld 29
Adventures in Underworld 31
Into the Flames of the Other Side 34
God’s Body Odour 37
Song of the Supermarket Sirens 38
The Sorrows Gather 41
Tinsel Paradise Lost 43
A Game of Cards 46
TheWanderer 48
viii