'One day this city will be mine' sings Swietlicki ('kiedys to miasto bedzie moje'). He was an unsuccessful Polish poet. He found his way forward, he started to sing his poetry. That worked.
Violetta Villas was a very successful Polish singer. She had an amazing vocal scale. She used to perform in Las Vegas with all the splendour, with all the lights and eyes focused on her. She was not a beautiful girl but she was glam. The world was at her feet. Until one day her Mum got unwell. Violetta returned to the motherland. It was a bad political and social time. A guy that used to write songs for her, songs that were exploring her wonderful capabilities and pushing them to the extreme, died. From being an international star Violetta changed into a misunderstood girl lost in reality. Her Mum died too and so she started withdrawing more and more from life. In my teenage years I used to hear of her living alone in a house full of cats. The animals were breeding and smelling badly. She lost almost all of the control. She was a frequent visitor in mental health institutions. It's a heartbreaking story.
Polish mental health institutions used to be very much different from Bristish ones. I'm not sure how they are now. When, as a keen student, I frequented them they were full of so-called classic schizophrenics, classic bi-polars, not many borderlines nor PDs. Many people were institutionalised. There was a lot of religious references, a lot of weird and fascinating histories. There was no hassle over privileges and benefits but everyone had a right to be given a voice.
Today.. this city will be mine.
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