"No Place Like Home" (National Poetry Month poem-a-day) Day 6

Written by Bruce A. Pandolfo
4/6/2017

Early 90's, Neil White, collared
for kiting, white collar crime, caught him
juggling checks for nearly 800,000 dollars
Ritzy lives lost well, its not very hard, still...
it isn't easy seeing a father shipped off to Carville

Neil gets driven to the Louisiana prison,
quiet drive with livid Linda, crimson with derision,
Isn't thrilled with visits, early by 45 minutes,
When Neil arrives, a guy waves, toothless grinning,
he double-takes...something's different
zoom-in shot on a gnarled set of mittens,
Realizes the welcoming committees'
twisted hand is missing digits!

Neil asked the guard for identification,
the guard says, “that's no inmate, its a patient”
Neil gets anxious, angst invades him
is this a betrayal of imagination,
Who is he locked away with?
Is he hallucinating?

The condition of his hands indebted to Hanson's disease,
Carville was the countries' final Leprosy colony
1894 the home opened up to quarantine,
marooned the ruined people,
outcasts like little Mr. Pete

Resident since he was 6,
Now Mr. Pete is in his 70's
Neil is terror stricken at the very thought of Leprosy
“Scared figuring this'll disfigure or be the death of me”
Definitely interesting to see perceptions, see
Mr. Pete prefers to “live here to the end of me”

These limbless locked in limbo
“Secret People” stifled by stigma
Hushed, ushered, herded by sure force
from fear of a limb lopping enigma
When doctors discovered the disease wasn't contagious
It may seem strange or outrageous
but most remained at Carville, and stayed “patients”

Duffy frugally fitted the facility part prison
Now the inmates and abandoned are companions co-existing
Ella said “There's no place like home” when she met him
shipped in when she was six and now she's 80, “no one visits”
Of the many Neil befriended THAT put his “problems” in perspective
He humbly chats and helps with errands whenever people let him

A year or so later, Neil had the good fortune of leaving
he's reminded “good fortune” was his imprisonment's antecedent,
Though many patients made an exodus,
Mr. Pete kept his residence
and now he feels blessed that
he has Carville to himself,
he rides his bike through halls,
Here and there Neil calls,
Mr. Pete stays closed off
fears scrutiny from everyone else.

Mr. Pete decrees he'd be at ease if he
were guaranteed to be buried 'neath Carville's Pecan tree,
Admittedly he isn't too interested in seeing the country,
“people in New York busy busy doing nothin but they're busy.”
and in a way, it may be hard to see what he's missing...



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