Night Shifts in the Nuthouse

"I have pretended to go mad in order to tell you the things I need to. I call it art because art is the word we give to our feelings made public. And art doesn't worry anyone" - Jon Ellis.

I. 

Morning

Lines   All day long I wait in lines  They wake me up before 8 they need to check my vital signs  So I rise to stand in line, to wait to feel the clench and release of the blood pressure cuff  'Congratulations' they viciously rip velcro, 'you're alive  Thank god  Before they confirm it every morning, I'm never sure

II.

Cigs

Cigarettes never last long enough  I drag the dregs of what's left of mine and join the line to re-enter the perpetual waiting room to wait for nothing  Read yesterday's paper enact scenes from the DMV:  Take a number, move up  Next line, meds line - paper cups  Paper cups filled with too many little pills  Paper cups, bottoms up  Tip it back, chug it down  Down  Open wide, display:  Yes I swallowed 

Good Girl.

III.

Accept

Paper cups make chem trails  My head dense and thick with fog  I want to lay down but my room is missing  I try to call it but the phone cord is too short can't hear what the tiny voice on the other end is saying  Apparently I'm wearing only one sock though I coulda sworn I put on two...

But I guess that's why I'm in the nuthouse.

Reviews

[Gee]

Nice,something other than the norm to read,like you I enjoy reading Chris's reviews(they're better than my poetry)Sweetly written Susannah

[Chris]

and I think your poetry is worth the pause to listen to it... so don't be putting yourself down - others will always do THAT for free so there really is no need for us to make them unemployed - yes?

[Gee]

Thank you Chris,I'll keep them employed then..

[Chris]

anytime...

[Chris]

an exceptional view... is it perceptionally driven or a memorex taste of an alernate unreality? I didn't laugh - nor want to ...but I understood.

[Susannah Rae]

Just my head sorting through my personal experiences. Some of it is darkly humorous so I understand your point of view, it is not any part unreality. Mental institutions are really like that.

[Chris]

life has its own sense of humor...too often it leaves us out of the loop ...another wallflower for a fly to pause upon as everything takes place just out of reach but never out of view.

Hi... I'm Chris

[Susannah Rae]

Hi chris, I'm Susannah. You have lovely words.

[Chris]

just real ones... How goes your day?

[love, lorey]

This is so unique, I love it! A walk in the mind :) This is great, very good job!

[Susannah Rae]

thank you so much!

[Sami Khalil]

This is a nice write and soooo different as far as subject matter...Bravo

[Susannah Rae]

thank you so much, love to hear praise and constructive critiques from fellow writers!

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome...Any time...:)........................

[Nwanna Onyeka Benedict]

Nice poem. Keep on the good work.

[Susannah Rae]

thank you much =]

[Nwanna Onyeka Benedict]

You are welcome