this poem is inspired by my friend Debbie who wrote a haunting poem titled "Satellite" and included the words, cadence and balm...her words took me here:

the room is dingy white with crayola stick figure drawings

on the walls

a few abandoned plants sit on the window sills

a reclusive sun is filtered through translucent barred dirty panes

and bird shit

women and men, in white with smiley faced picture ID’s

stride authoritatively through the halls

here and there sit broken minds

as a TV blares some incoherent mind numbing commercial

she crouches in a corner

arms criss-crossed and clutched tightly

holding nothing but her narrow body

coming closer

one can hear a hushed sung lullaby

soothing stanzas softly mouthed nonsensical words tumble one right after another

she trembles

but her eyes remain tightly clenched shut

monsters sometimes can be fought with a courageous soprano note

or electric shock topped off with a pharmaceutical cocktail

but shush now, shush now, listen

her lullaby

really a lamentation

is both a shield and a balm

for a battle royale fought only in her mind

we are just the observant

jailors/keepers

by vee ghozlan aka butterflynxile

art - http://images.vghozlan.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/orig/Ryf5gQoKCo8AAG4iBxs203/1.jpeg?et=mNSRhkYcnIUSQmqvz%2Bp95Q