Instructions
Welcome to the step-down unit.
We hope your stay is very pleasant
and that the curtains don’t turn you
into lace. That happens sometimes.
The left curtain in the dayroom is
named Sheila. Watch out for Sheila—
she bites when you least expect it.
Such as when you are secretly
eating the Lorna Doones that
were given to Paul on visiting day.
There are Lorna Doones at the
nurses’ desk, too, but they
never taste as good.
Marilyn Rauch Cavicchia 
ha. this is fun…interesting…made my think of the psyche ward a bit…the curtains with names biting…the cookies…the cookies i am sure are good….better than the nurses station…
Thank you … I didn’t want to disrespect my friends who have coped with mental illness themselves or with loved ones, but it certainly borrows from psych ward imagery.
Wow. Excellent poem. A little dark, a little funny. Love the bit about the curtains and lace.
Thank you! Yes, I was going for dark and funny, both. After the curtains and lace part, I looked at it and thought, “Um, did I just suggest that the curtain is going to rip someone to shreds?” I’ve tried to get a little more loose in my writing lately, and apparently this stuff was lurking in there somewhere …
I recognized it right away! Tastefully done 😉
Thank you so much!