“Whatever you think, I’m not guarding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I am searching for one. I’m not even sure what that pot looks like. Yet, I’ll admit that I’m driven by ambition.Leprechaun has the knack of leading me into brick walls of discrimination due to my sex—but that’s history. Let me introduce Banshee next. She’s rather depressing to live with, and I don’t want to end this piece on her sour notes.
“Traditional shoe-making is not my trade. I studied chemistry so Jan could become a chemist and the first woman on the moon or Mars. But she became a teacher instead. As they say, ‘Them-that-can do; them-that-can’t teach.’
“I don’t much care what I look like. The slouching comes from me. I spend hours bent over books. Keeping up appearances wastes too much money and time that I could spend on other things. Jan’s husband has hooked her on photography—as if poetry and prose weren’t bad enough. Talk about distractions.
“If I have a fault, the others would say I am something of a control freak. I don’t agree. I’m just trying to help.”
“Woe be me. Jan can’t ignore me even if she wants to.Enough said. Where she sees woe, I see challenge. Because of Banshee, Leprechaun is applying his work-alcoholic personality to seeing that I eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. It’s a team effort.
“You see, I follow her around all the time keeping tabs on health issues. As if it wasn’t bad enough raising three kids with nose bleeds, broken arms, and allergies, now it’s her own arthritis (two kinds) and fibromyalgia. I watch for flares and infections that are becoming more common as she struggles to find a balance between a drug-induced under-active immune system and a natural (for her) over-active one. I’m the reason she is walking a medicinal high-wire.”
There is one more dimension to me. Let me introduce the third member on my interior trio, Deeneeshee who sees magic on the other side of my Looking Glasses. I’ll let Deeneeshee explain.
“They say I’m a fallen angel not good enough to be saved nor bad enough to be lost. I’m just one of the gods of the earth. If I am, so is everyone else, little people and big ones alike.Flypaper? There will be no ice cream for you tonight.
“I’m the poet and writer who is inspiring this piece of creative nonfiction. I’m driven by fun and curiosity. I dream of writing books and turning photographs into photo-art.
"They say I’m capricious. The problem is just that I have to depend upon Leprechaun to learn how to make my creations. He has a patience I can’t seem to find. The problem is that he likes to take things over and his writing smells like rotting salmon. I can just image what his photo-art would look like. He is a decent editor though. Where do you think words like ‘capricious’ come from? Oh well, what choice do I have. We’re all stuck to this flypaper.”
Jan Haffley
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