closing the asylum

the asylum is being torn
down.
the shackles pulled from
the walls,
the cells are hosed down
and burned.
the grounds are plowed over.
the watchtowers fall,
the barbed wire
is cut and disposed of.
the last inmate has left
the building, she's on
her own.
free to be crazy and unhappy
wherever she plans to go.
let's plant a garden
where the pain was,
build a home, where the hurt
resided.
start once more
with fresh hope,
strong wood,
new steel,
new love.