October 22, 2011 – Later,
much later
It’s late
The phone rings
I jump
And I panic
And I answer
The phone
It is
My sister
She tells me that
There has been
A lockdown
At the mental hospital
At first
I don’t understand
Whether she has been
Locked out or
Locked in
Finally
She calms down
And the story
Becomes
Clearer
She brought
Clothes
For my brother
They were visiting
In the common room
When a woman
Tried to stab her own arm
With a fork
Made of
Plastic
The patients
Were hurried
To their rooms
The visitors
Were hurried
Out the door
The hospital was
Locked down
“He’s scared”
She says
Talking of my brother
“He looks bad
But he looks sane
He is not where he
Belongs”
I agree
And I cry
And I ache
For my brother
But this is one of the things
That I
Can’t change
Thank you for the poem. I especially related to the line: He is not where he belongs. Many of us feel we are somewhere we don't belong and can relate to that fear, even if we try to make ourselves comfortable there. Thinking deeper, as spiritual beings created in the image of God placed here on earth, we're not where we belong. And we cry and ache and find purpose for where we are. Some day it will be changed.
ReplyDeleteAll that to say, your poem was successful. It got me to personalize feelings and good deeper. Thank you!
Thank you, Maggie, for reading and commenting on the poem.
DeleteThis story weighed on my heart until I started writing. I'm not sure what I will do with it when I finish, but I do know that I will finish it.