Life in a Juvie Facility

 

EASTERN

When I was a kid

the place where I lived

was a squat cinder block building

they called “the Cottage”.

 

Inside there was a rubber room

with thickly lined walls

one could slam ones’ self into

without really doing much harm.

I got to spend a bit of time there

when I was bad.

 

This was nothing like the room they used

the next door over

for the really bad kids.

 

When a really bad kid went into that room

the Counselors would call the rest of us together

in the hallway, outside the room

where we could look through the window in the door.

 

Through that window

we could see, four feet above the floor

the brown tinged blocks

as we would watch

a fresh application get added

to the otherwise white walls.

 

“If you are really bad

You’ll get to go in there too!”

 

lesson learned.

If you were only partly bad

You get the rubber room.

At least, there, you get to be left alone.