Henry's Psychiatric Session to Determine Prognosis Part II

Henry returns to the room of Dr. Kentworth. He is smiling and fidgets with his hands, flops down on an empty chair, swings both legs over the left side of the chair,  and begins to laugh.

Dr. Kentworth: So, the cigarette went well I see.

Henry: (now very serious, no more laughter)
Create in me, O God, a pure heart--
but I am not pure!


Dr: Henry?

Henry: Create in me, O God, a pure heart--but I am not pure! The smell comes first,

but I am not pure! Then the man that calls himself "Frank the Master" pours into me and O God, a pure heart I am not!

Dr: Henry (pauses trying to capture henry's attention), have you ever been seen by a psychiatrist before?

Henry: On this day, O God, drop oil on my head as a symbol of healing. I saw a man once. His head was like a leper's tail. He told me I would be okay if I just stopped brushing my teeth. I thought, said, that sounds mighty dramatic, to the man...then he held out his hand.....and I took it....BLAST ME!

Dr: So, in other words, Henry, you have been to a psychiatrist before?

Henry: So much energy, and in one section. It tires me out to speak of it, but, nonetheless, yes, his name was O God! That's it! His name was O God! And he laid out his hand before me and tried to protect me from The Master (laughs) but, oh how The Master ripped off that hand of poor O God! And then I saw no one but Him. He told me to go to Kansas City and kill the board of Congress like I was some ol'white son-of-a-bitchi n'-dog-hearin'-son-of-Sam!

Dr: Henry, there is no need to raise your voice, I can hear you perfectly well when you just talk. (long pause, Henry kicks his feet up and down against the side of the chair and smiles at Dr. Kentworth) So, Henry, you're telling me that your first psychiatrist was O God?

Henry: (laughs and then swings his legs back to the front of the chair, crosses them, folds his hands and places them on his left leg, he now speaks in monotone) Yesiree, O God was his name-o. He told me that Frank was not real and that my mind was playing tricks on me. I was like, tricks. Who plays tricks. Not me, for sure. Tricks aren't anything but a young skeleton wearing a body, you know. 

Dr: So you have seen someone before me. Why did you see somebody before me Henry?

Henry: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. See that man there, that accompanies that wretched smell, be gone. I don't care if it's bloody fucking Siberia, send him away. Send him away. Send him away. His eyes are expensive and violent. They cause an explosion inside of me. It is very uncomfortable and I damn my mother. Mother-fucker go on now to Siberia like O God says I say.

Dr: God was your first psychiatrist Henry?

Henry: In a sense, I guess you could say. (fixes his eyes on a bust of Carl Jung that rests upon the desk of the doctor) Senselessly, all around me I see brokenness: children hungry, women abused, pastors harassed, legislators befuddled, immigrants deported, people discouraged. That ain't my bag, right? My dreams were determined by my illness. How he overcame me is not altogether clear. I saw him but a few times. He was ugly. He looked like that hooded thing that takes the life away. He told me a lot of calumniation-malarkey. This hog-wash spewed from his mouth. A liar he was. His pants, were, in fact, not on fire though. That is a blasted shame because deceivers belong in the fire. Dreams, art, mythology=malarkey. Now this trash-dreamer was trying to tell me that my English scholarship went to hell because the host had sent it there. The host in my dream sent it, that is. My dreams send my scholarships to hell. Now. Does that sound right. 

Dr: Are you asking me a question Henry?

Henry: Not Henry (laughs)-the bad man dummy.

Dr: Who is the bad man?

Henry: Uh, like, duh, The Master, remember.

Dr: Yes, Henry, I remember. You did not trust your former psychiatrist?

Henry: (Cries out) WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT TRUST!!!! THE FUCKER TOLD ME I WAS INFESTED WITH THE FUCKING DEVIL!!!! NOW AWAY O GOD!!!!

Dr: Okay Henry, okay. Let us talk about something else. When was the last time you took a shower Henry?

Henry: Nineteen fucking eleven. The last time the waters did roar. They accosted me like the dickens. How they burned up my skin. Goddamn nineteen fucking eleven all good fuckers go to Heaven. Yeah, Fuck all them too-good-for-you's. I'm done with this.

Dr: Nineteen-eleven. That was a long time ago wouldn't you say Henry?

Henry: (Uncrosses his legs, gets up from his chair and goes to the window dragging his shoes along with him, expressionless) All Hell after that. All Hell.

....to be continued.....