Metal detectors spot a gun
That’s good news for everyone
But we’re not really safe until
They pass a mental detector bill
Decades ago institutions
Were the only sane solutions
For a challenged population
Seeking help throughout our nation
But we remember ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’
Insane patients under arrest
Forced to live in filth and squalor
Tortured souls who’d scream and holler
The media exposed the crime
Politicians wasted no time
Cutting funds immediately
Letting psychotics wander free
Homeless is where they wandered to
Tragic faces hidden from view
Harmless victims hurting no one
Harmless until one finds a gun
Too often lawyers make the plea
“Not guilty from insanity”
But none of us are safe until
We care for our mentally ill
c2015pn
Read Peet Nourjian’s past poems here.