Let The Crazy Woman Speak (Poetry)

Let the crazy woman speak —
O let her tell her tragic story
all the details of her pain
all the pathos and the glory

Let her whisper of betrayal
let her shout about deceit
all the years no one has listened
there are nails that hurt her feet

Hear her carefully explaining
how they cruci-fried her brain
with electrical persuasion
for the certified insane

Now she squats upon the pavement
the asylum’s long closed down
and reopened as a health spa
in this profit-driven town

with no room left for the homeless
or the weak of limb or mind
just an old and crazy woman
who’s no use of any kind

Let her shelter in the subway
scratch around to find a crumb
the ill-treatment drove her balmy
but it didn’t leave her dumb

She’s the oracle at Delphi
and the Fates control her tongue
she’s the wise one who remembers
where the rest of us went wrong

So let the crazy woman speak —
such prophecies ring true
and it’s time that someone listened
but God knows we never do