As for me, I am a so-called psychiatrist who witnessed society deposit its “patients” inside of a prison, transporting me back in time to the era of the alienist. Thus, the knot of causes in which I am entangled” has recurred and created me again. I am the recurrence from the past, sending a message into the future. I am an alienist reincarnated, and poetry keeps me sane.
The Compact
Society: “Remove these men from our fold.”
Prison: How much misery do you require?
Society: “Enough that they writhe in guilty anguish, yet do not seek a final exit.”
Prison: A most delicate balance! Do you think it wise to cultivate such despair?
Society: “We cannot lose our bearings. Our obligation is to the law-abiding. This is the way that we will all progress.”
Prison: How will we show our progress without exposing the blight of the miserable?
Society:” We must count on you for cosmetic aid. Conceal all blemishes as best you can.”
Prison: Leviticus is damned! And if an unsightly flaw emerges despite our efforts?
Society: “We cannot lose our bearings. Our obligation is to the law-abiding. This is the way that we will all progress.”
Prison: How will we show our progress without exposing the blight of the miserable?
Society: “We must count on you for cosmetic aid. Conceal all blemishes as best you can.”
Prison: Leviticus be damned! And if an unsightly flaw emerges despite our efforts?
Society: “We must renounce our pact with you and express our disapproval.”
Prison: A pariah in oblivion. How will we endure our exile?
Society: “With the knowledge that wretchedness has its place in the status quo.”