The Victor - Matthew Freeman

“Hey, Dr Valentine. I want

my discharge papers drawn up

and I want two weeks of meds and I

don’t wanna hear any shit. Get on it!”

I’ve heard it said a popular poet said

sometimes he feels he’s on an ambulance

on the way to the psych ward and he’s

listening to someone confess their demons.

I won’t tell you who quoted that—

Just some prominent Chicago poet

at a prominent workshop in which

he refused to workshop my prominent poem.

Oh sure, I was sad. Then I was mad. And

then I was hurt. Afterwards I was confused.

But I sleep soundly now, unconfined and

free from terror. Sometimes when I’m alone

amidst a big crowd and someone winks

I get a little glance of madness and I

wink back quite confidently. It ain’t

just anyone who could put horror in its place.

Bio:

Matthew Freeman is in recovery from schizophrenia and a lot of his poems deal with what he has seen and learned along the way...his most recent book is a little one called Exile (2River) and his last full-length book was called Ideas of Reference at Jesuit Hall (Coffeetown Press).