April Fox

I take my daughter for yet another
evaluation
and they take her back alone. 

The waiting room is bare, dingy floors and hard plastic chairs
I kick the metal leg in time with the clock

Kick
Tick
Kick

I've been here before. 

It's been too long and I go to seek her out
A maze of hallways
Open doors yawning at me
    "She isn't here."

At the end, one stands closed and I reach for the knob
eager and afraid

Inside she sits on a couch
crusted with filth
Dog shit carpets the floor
She's playing with it
There are no toys
She's all alone. 

I scoop her up and run, run
Try to find the exit
The empty rooms spit out staff who look like they were written
by Ken Kesey, then run through wide mouth filters
Black Hole Sun, they reach for us
Death smiles stretched wider than life
Scream at me
    "We'll clean it up
        again.
Bring her back."

I run
and run
and run

Wake up spent
and fighting.