H
e a r t S o n s & H e a r t D a u g h t e r s of A l l e n G i n s
b e r g
N
a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 4 : A r c h i
v e s E d i t i o n
SUZI KAPLAN OLMSTED
The Words
Why do you have
so much stuff
they ask me
as I work to get
admitted to the
mental ward the
night of my 39th
birthday.
I'm a professional I
think, it's hard to
get them to keep
you, but they're
not interested in
my reasons for
interment,
they want to know
why I have 20 books
and more magazines
that I can carry
and other questions
that I forget to
answer before they
come to the next
question.
I couldn't remember
how to pack
and words were more urgent.
They leave me cold
on a gurney and
tell me nicely "Now
don't you wander
from here" and I
pile the books
around me while
I wait for someone
to bring me sleep
and stop the words.
[Originally
published in NHS 2003, http://www.poetspath.com/napalm/nhs03/suzi_kaplan_olmsted.html.]