BATTERED SPOUSE SYNDROME: MITCH, JEFF AND THE SISTER-WIVES COULD USE SOME PROFESSIONAL HELP

Untitled, Watercolor, 16.5" x 24", Richard J Van Wagoner, Circa. 2001, Courtesy of Van Wagoner Family Trust**

His virility and prowess would bear him children, lots of them, important ones, tremendous amazing terrific ones, the best ones, beginning on Day One. The world would honor him, and only him, for his spectacular achievements, his progeny. Never better in all of history. Mark his words. His would be a posterity — and legacy — the likes of which the world had never seen.

Well before the nuptials his pathology was on full display. The painful demonstration of his flaccid, comprehensive impotence (and his vomitus and drearily incessant protestations to the contrary) surprised few observers.

His impotence turns out to be world class. His barrenness too, the likes of which the world has never seen. Nothing viable to contribute, form or substance. Zero. Less than zero. Only chaos the likes of which the world has never seen.

Must be Mitch’s fault. Or Jeff’s. Or the Senate’s.

The cycle begins.

Tension. Anger. Verbal assaults. Blame. Name-calling. Belittling. Manipulation. Coercion. Abuse. Control. Tweets. Release.

They’ll never leave him or turn against him. They need him.

Co-dependence. Contrition. Appeasement. Apologies. Fear. Powerlessness. Learned helplessness.

Repeat

Repeat

Repeat

Repeat
Repeat
Repeat. . . . Repeat. . . Repeat. . Repeat. Repeatrepeat

Intervention

Empowerment

Impeachment

*My brother the fiction writer and novelist, Robert Hodgson Van Wagoner, deserves considerable credit for offering both substantive and technical suggestions to lastamendment.com

**My daughter Angela Moore, a professional photographer, photographed nearly 500 pieces of my father’s work. On behalf of the Van Wagoner Family Trust, she is in the process of compiling a collection of his art work. The photographs of my father’s art reproduced in lastamendment.com are hers.