when i arrived at the hospital,
i had to undress,
put on white pajamas
and hand over my phone
my mom’s last words
before they took me in
were
first they’ll observe you,
then they’ll transfer you
to another ward
from behind the locked door
of the closed ward
i heard animal screams
when they opened the door, a sound barrier,
the bedlam crashed against me
they escorted me to my bed,
each person i saw
was playing a carefully assigned role
the security guard, the nurse,
the silent killer, the youthful friend,
the pretty temptation, the ugly screamer,
and many others,
who were orchestrating
my own personal
truman show