#5 The Ballad of Mark the Ring: A Tale of NBII

“All patients gather round to hear
The tale of Mark the Ring
Whom we revere even today for
His courage and his daring

When Mark came stumbling onto the Hall
Fuming that he was there
He said he wouldn’t stay too long
And tossed his long blond hair

He flashed a smile with straight white teeth
And said he didn’t belong
That doc with the pink slips a creep
So Mark would soon be gone

And those of us who’d long abided there
Looked sideways with a grin
We knew of the sorry fate of those
Who entertained such plans

We lined up nicely for our meds
And never thought to tongue
And obediently went to bed
To the dark dreams of the drugged

And as the flashlights travelled the night
In intervals of fifteen minutes
Mark told the staff he’d seen the light
And wanted to stay with them

He flexed the muscles of his arms
And touched his narrow waist
The nurses grinned and flipped their charts
His smiles were well placed

Then sometime in the morning hour
When just completing their notes
They heard a sound they’d reprise
In later anecdotes

For Mark the Ring had hoisted a chair
And smashed it through a fire door
And then he ran down the fire escape
Never to be seen anymore

And we who lacked the courage then
Remember him with awe
For he refused the tyrant’s yoke
And took his rights by force”

Submitted by Elizabeth Richter