Remove me from this circle,
away from this blurred screen
The sounds of slurred promises and caricatured lives
resonate loudly in graying ears
This arrangement does not suit me
does not nourish or soothe me
The food brings malnourishment,
and the time brings reflection
The pictures and the sounds mix and blend
recreating, shaping, destroying
what once was
to make what is
I see the pity in the caregivers’ actions,
in their words,
in their voices
Take your possessions
move them inside
your mind
They stripped us
from who we were
Belittled our minds and
emptied us of our experience
In return, they gave us
their routines, and
their rules to learn
Take me home, I say
Do not forget me, I plead
And the screen plays on.
Tory Candea was born in Binghamton, NY. After graduating from Ithaca College, she moved to South Carolina. She now resides in Savannah, GA, and is a practicing speech-language pathologist.