by Larry Stromberg

POC

Fury rattles the brain – schizophrenia.  Psychiatry  

is a foreign language. Demons are whispering friends,  

angels a refuge, masturbation relieves the temporarily.  

Isolated for weeks that never end, the eye in the sky  

watches every move. Styrofoam trays come timely 

as I shed the pounds.  

My appearance turns barbaric as I drift into oblivion, 

controlled by pharmaceuticals, wrapped naked in a vest. 

I scream and the guilt turns insane. 

Drowning in vomit, forgotten by those that condemned me, 

my soul shivers in madness. Just another day  

in the Protective Observation Cell. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Larry Stromberg has written, acted in, and directed over seventy plays since being incarcerated. Almost as much as he loves his family, Stromberg loves animals. He’s forever remorseful for the horrible choice he made decades ago that hurt so many and resulted in his death-by-incarceration prison sentence. 

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