she wanders up to me aimless
her tears scream in whispers
both hands knotted in her unwashed hair
she bursts out with a desperate plea
'release me from the unseen hands
of a long dead predator
**** the monsters that chase me and
unleash me like a feral beast'

I slip away into the forest of chairs
before morning group
fishing in my mud coffee for answers
look for sunshine in the medications
before the storm of thoughts can darken me

this cold wall place
this hard mattress escape
fortress of inner demons
hides more than just the dark face of abandon souls


no wonder his arm is a mass of scars
no wonder the man in the corner
spends his days weeping for a broken blade of grass

all of us in this dark cold place
all of our tears are screams inside of whispers