Looking back at a minefield
called Mental health

Medicated and sedated
to an unconscious state ,
where you understood nothing
to which you couldn’t relate .

Days went by ,
but you never really
knew how long it was,
in deep sleep therapy
everything in life
had been paused .

No one could escape
the hospital wards
at Pennant Hills ,
too weak to speak
and they were fed
more tranquillizer pills .

I lay there drowsy
from the medications
they gave me ,
fighting to stay awake
I saw things
that no one should see .

Some patients were removed
on trolley beds
during the night .
There was lots of screaming
and shouting
something wasn’t right .

So I got out of bed
and walked along the corridor ,
to see patients on trolley beds
being wheeled out of the door.

I didn’t know then what was going on
in there that place ,
maybe if I did I would have
run out at twice the pace .

The staff were far too busy
there so I seized the moment
to do a fast clothes change
and with no goodbye off I went .
I turned around
past the room
where medications were stored
and I escaped
out the front exit door
of Chelmsford .