51/50 Poem by Tom Foster

The bell chimes
Soft tone calls
People into line
All good
Citizens of the misfit motel
Take your pill
Swallow your juice
Don’t argue
Fight back or the big boys
Muscles bellies
Stretch starch white
Crisp crackling fabric
Will strap you down
5 points of
Immobility
Get the drug anyway
Delivered through long thin
Needle jab one two three and
Out the door
Leave you there for hours
Thickly drooling the
World swims
Pee your pants
Pray for death

This ain’t no grand hotel baby
Bird Goddess speaks in secret tongues
Manic eyeball popping wonder rush boy bouncing
Flitting off the couch onto the chair
Over to the window pauses to explain adrenaline
To the whole room
Depressed lumps of mash potato flesh
Stare unseeing at
The wall the tv their knees
Their slipper feet
Boy\girl thing sits across from you
Leering smiles waits
Waits
Smiles at you
And you close your eyes
Don’t close your eyes
The clock ticks
Tocks
The Thorazine shufflers wear a path in the hall
Finally
A nurse comes to lead you to your room
Don’t worry she says
Tomorrow we get pancakes