Human Poem by Edwina Reizer

The injection was used to calm him
And give him a sense of peace.
He felt himself getting sleepy.
He knew the fury would cease.
How many times had he lay here
Looking at light bulbs above?
The meanness of attendants upon him
Lacked compassion and love.
They did not sense his prison
And where his mind had gone.
They worked the midnight shift
And escaped the scene at dawn.

Now the question is who suffered the most?
The patient or men in white coats?
How many more times would they struggle with?
The feeling that gagged their throats.
To see another suffer and see it every day
Made dreams turn into nightmares
That never went away.
They cried at the sight of the tortured
And hid their eyes in shame.
And the prisoner as he lay there
Shouted out his name.

HUMAN, I am human.