top of page

The Sighing Sanitorium

Writer's picture: Darkling ThrushesDarkling Thrushes

"Welcome home," he could barely read, standing

Motionless at the Gate, look to left and right

To see the rows of slatted windows stare

Vacantly into night with broken teeth.

There’s history here he thinks as he crosses

The threshold with a waving flashlight, as

A criminal looking for a hide-out:

“My little brother had a serious

Bout of something no one could understand

But the doctors, I curse names I should praise.”

He moved carefully, into the cellblock,

Behind the abandoned nurses’ station.

Outside Cell 1, he learned he would need

Keys, which he doubled back and found,

“How safe from the authorities I am here,

And even the public, so few come by.”

When he sank his tired body down on

A filthy mattress, he knew that he had

Found a place to crash for the night without

Any kind of disruption, so he did.

__________

Copyright 2023 Jeffrey Merk

36 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

The Mechanical Clock

https://asm.makemusic.com/index.html?bundle=https://library.makemusic.com/practice/public/bundles/1300565-7eafd5284cb9a7a86e47f3bc23ddb8e...

Dirk the Dragonslayer

A Dagger in ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas’  Wrapping paper; Bird Seed from Zeller’s Pet  Department, and Chunk Light Tuna by can,  Are...

The Inhospitable World

‘We’ll just circle the block again waiting,  For the first available parking-spot,  For your doctors’ appointment, what are you  Going to...

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating

Darkling Thrushes Incorporated

©2023 by Darkling Thrushes Incorporated. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page