“Somewhere Else”
Head tilted to the side
She stares out from behind the column
Shoulders tight
And eyes untrusting…
Trying to make sense of this world
Suddenly out of control
Strangers in charge and doors locked
Pushing away from friendly faces…
“Their all spies watching me”
She says in a whisper
“I can’t talk in here”
“Thank you for coming”…
My heart lingers
Hoping for any connection
From wherever she’s gone
I reach out and stroke her back…
She relaxes for a moment
And from inside her barricaded mind
Feelings flicker in her eyes
As a faint smile forms and drifts away…
“I have to move ahead”
Her fists clinch shuffling toward her room
“Take a shower and change pajamas”
“I ate more today”…
I follow across the common area
Other captured souls staring unaware
She disappears into her room
Gone for the night…
An attendant unlocks the door to the outside
And I gulp in the evening air
Under the heaven’s shimmering stars
As my prayers wing their way skyward.
Paul Colaluca
(12/8/05)