Certified

When does sanity
Cross the line
Into the realm
Of insanity?
Even the professionals
In the psychiatric field
Probably can't give
A clear answer
To that question.
Just what is sanity?
Is it permanent
Or temporary?
Is it something
We float into
And out of depending
On our mood,
Or the situation
We find ourselves in?
I have heard
Such terms as
Temporary insanity
As an excuse
For some pretty
Crazy acts,
But is there also
Temporary sanity?
Are some people
Lucid occasionally
And certifiably crazy
The rest of the time?
Most of us daydream,
And are very imaginative
In coming up with
Alternative possibilities
To what life is actually like,
But when we drift off
Into a fantasy world
Of our own creation,
Are we sane or insane?
We all get crazy notions
Floating around inside our heads
From time to time,
But generally we don't
Act on those impulses.
Sometimes we do,
And we are apt to
Suffer the consequences.
Is sanity a matter of restraint,
The reluctance to follow through
On our crazier impulses?
Is it a matter of self control?
Is insanity a conformance
To some established norm?
If so, then what is normal?
There are certain things
That drive us crazy,
But at what point
Are we really crazy?
I bring all these questions up
Because I once met a guy
Who carried around
A letter certifying his sanity,
And I thought that was
Pretty darn crazy!
It is difficult enough
For a psychologist
To certify someone as insane,
But how could they
Certify someone as sane,
And is that certification
Temporary or permanent?