Institutionalized
A lot of time has passed
since freedom was part of the daily routine
Eat when you wanna eat,
sleep when you wanna sleep
Go whenever you wanna go to the latrine
No need to have to ask for permission,
freedom was a given
Getting locked in your room every night
is now standard procedure
Nothing you can do about it
... it ain’t your call
You’ve come to accept the imposed authority,
institutionalized you’ve become ...
that’s all
They’ve taken away your liberty ball,
and they ain’t giving it back
Not until the warden says so
Not until the psychiatric doctor says
let ‘em go
Not until the parole board says
you’re rehabilitated for sho’
Now you’re scared to go
Freedom is a distant relative
you don’t wanna know
Inexplicably, you’re so scared to go
You’re raising eyebrows,
so the authorities issue a soon-to-be-released warning:
No shoestrings in your shoes,
forced you to like velcro
No shaves
because you can’t have no
razor blades
Suicide performances
ain’t part of the departure freak show
Prison is a prison,
whether it’s a locked cell or a bolted door
in your mind
But, since becoming institutionalized,
the calming, daily routine has made you
embrace your loss of freedom more and more
The prospect of entering free society again
is a thought unkind
Copyright © Freddie Robinson Jr. | Year Posted 2017
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