Visits to St. Elizabeths

Questions of Travel

This is the house of Bedlam.

This is the manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the timeof the tragic manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a wristwatchtelling the timeof the talkative manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a sailorwearing the watchthat tells the timeof the honored manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the roadstead all of boardreached by the sailorwearing the watchthat tells the timeof the old, brave manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

These are the years and the walls of the ward,the winds and clouds of the sea of boardsailed by the sailorwearing the watchthat tells the timeof the cranky manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a Jew in a newspaper hatthat dances weeping down the wardover the creaking sea of boardbeyond the sailorwinding his watchthat tells the timeof the cruel manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a world of books gone flat.This is a Jew in a newspaper hatthat dances weeping down the wardover the creaking sea of boardof the batty sailorthat winds his watchthat tells the timeof the busy manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a boy that pats the floorto see if the world is there, is flat,for the widowed Jew in the newspaper hatthat dances weeping down the wardwaltzing the length of a weaving boardby the silent sailorthat hears his watchthat ticks the timeof the tedious manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

These are the years and the walls and the doorthat shut on a boy that pats the floorto feel if the world is there and flat.This is a Jew in a newspaper hatthat dances joyfully down the wardinto the parting seas of boardpast the staring sailorthat shakes his watchthat tells the timeof the poet, the manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the soldier home from the war.These are the years and the walls and the doorthat shut on a boy that pats the floorto see if the world is round or flat.This is a Jew in a newspaper hatthat dances carefully down the ward,walking the plank of a coffin boardwith the crazy sailorthat shows his watchthat tells the timeof the wretched manthat lies in the house of Bedlam.