Theresa Williams

I’ve been institutionalized for so long

That it feels like

I am conditioned to act a certain way

The staff treats me a certain way

Like I’ve lost my mind

But the fact is

some staff have worked here for so long

that sometimes it feels like some of them have lost their mind

They’ve been institutionalized without even knowing it

Because they’ve been conditioned to do things in a certain way

There’s a time for everything

And everything in this place that has wheels makes noise

My neighbor talks all day and night

Sometimes it feels like I’m in a nut-house

I often wonder if there is a difference between this place and prison

And then it dawns on me that they are both institutions

With people who are often treated like numbers