“Asylum – XIV: Family Visits” / A Memorable Fancy #378

[Continuing the journal of Diane McMurphy, a patient in Bad Shepherd mental hospital, “The Asylum”]

     Some of us patients have families. When they come to visit on visiting day, the dayroom is where they see us: a pleasant, sunny place where the keepers can keep an eye on the crazies, keep us controlled by playing the television machine loud enough to cover up any embarrassing conversations among the patients or with their families.

     So we mouth clichés at each other, at least they seem to be clichés but all I can see are moving lips. Then the families leave, knowing they’ve done their part to cheer the fighting men and women on the home front. Then we’re back to our jigsaw puzzles and dayroom movies until next week.

     They sympathize, I guess; but they can never understand. Not really.

[to be continued …]

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