Straight-jacket tied,
Secured to her bed behind glass walls.
Straight-jacket tied,
Secured to a chair in the doctor’s office.
Straight-jacket tied,
As he probes her mind whilst sniffing her hair.
Straight-jacket tied,
As he probes her mouth with his thick, analytical fingers.
Straight-jacket tied,
As he probes her breasts with his cool stethoscope.
Straight-jacket tied,
As he probes her soft insides,
Straight-jacket tied,
No one listens to a crazy person’s cries.
Wow! Disturbing, as I’m sure you meant it to be. So many sensory details. I think this poem is going to stay with me for awhile.
Thanks, that is one of the milder ones!
Wow! This one hits home with me in a big way. Thank you for writing it! Beautiful!
As a person who has dealt with mental illness through close family members for my entire lifetime, this eery poem rings true for me because it ends on such a note of profound truth: Even the more neurotypical among us suffer this injustice and absence of presence, especially and because we are women.
Whoa. Gave me chills. Made me furious. Made me hurt for the poor women who’ve endured this type of abuse by the very people designed to protect and not exploit them. Thank you for sharing.
I agree with all of the comments made before mine. This piece speaks so powerfully to those situations where people are taken advantage of at the hands of people we should be able to trust.
This work is exactly why I am such a fan of yours! You are not afraid to say what needs to be said!
Intense, and well written. Upsetting but in a powerful way.
The final verse made me realize, no, this woman isn’t crazy. It’s objecting to the objectification that invites being called crazy. Very well done.
I like this poem a lot. It has an important message. I like the subtlety of the first stanzas. The last line leaves no doubt. It might be just a bit heavy-handed. Overall, great work!