The Institute

Look at how much fun they had
The laughter, the mockeries, the jeers
The mention of the institute alone
Had them all in gleeful cheer

I will begin, and divulge
Of the entire craze
That caught me, arrested me, and kept me
In the residence of the mighty minds

I was conscious, assiduous, and persistent
I was rushing for time, all those assignments
Attended the talks, the workshops and
All the essentials of school life

Soon it dawned upon me
I could not get by, too much pressure!
Three suicide attempts failed
No, don’t take me there!

Caught in depression
That disables all abilities to function
As per normal a human being
Caught, I spun the web of pessimism

Several diagnoses later…

They accused me a psycho
And I kept reminding them
‘No! No! I wasn’t one!’
They never did listen

I knew, and have always known
Of what happened
Outside the walls
Of the mental institute I reside in

They continued to mock, and
Jeer, and
Disparage the institute…
Will they only understand when they become one of us?

Nurul Zakiah Bte Mohamad Nor
Secondary 4 J