Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Tammy Smith

Gutted in Grippy Socks


On the psych ward,

time crawls

across piss-stained floors.


It smells like fish

whenever Debbie, the head nurse,

heats up lunch.

I catch her watching me

waiting for meals, for meds—

filthy, exposed, gutted.


I can’t breathe at night

when my big dreams

dwindle under fluorescent lights.

I am mesmerized by darkness,

what’s unseen—

unspeakable suffering

lights me up like a toy.


Warning: don’t press my buttons

or I might snap.

My mind is rubber,

wrapped in cheap plastic.

Unpack me gently. I’m a fall risk,

Debbie’s worst nightmare—

chasing shadows

along cracked walls,

crawling

without yellow grippy socks.



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