(For the poet, it’s been two years. And since no one appears to be about to do anything about it, seems reasonable to believe it a life sentence.

How much this blows a contributive American citizen’s mind.

Wouldn’t it blow yours?)

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Recorded Reading (1:23): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bm0z1kh195vzqslw699xt/If-You-Don-t-Think-Sleep-Deprivation-is-Torture.wav?rlkey=s8ca77nmkbp6erykgkh9fxxnm&dl=0

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If You Don’t Think Sleep Deprivation is Torture, Try it for Just One Week

Isn’t this fun?
Isn’t this sweet?
Upon this bucket
First we will beat

When we get done,
When we get through,
We’ll go ahead and
Bang on your van too

And because you’re
A woman alone
Here’s something special:
We’ll throw some stones!

We wouldn’t want you
Sleepy or bored
So we’ll ride around you
On an old skateboard

We said that wrong:
Actually,
We don’t want you bored
But we do want you sleepy

And cold, and unhappy
In all kinds of pain
Mental and physical
Your loss ~ our gain

We’ll make you waver 
We’ll make you wobble
We’ll make your mind
And your body both hobble

To keep you awake
We’re perfectly free
Nobody’s watching
As you can see

We can keep you up
For the rest of the night
For our entertainment
And our delight

And then tomorrow
And the next night too
We’re betting on how long
It takes before you

Look and talk anxious
Spaced out become
Sleepless and anxious
Panicked and numb

With you like a mouse
We cats will play
Till we get to see them
Come take you away

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This poet is physically disabled. Public housing being insufficient to her medical and creative needs, she is presently living, in order to continue working, in her minivan, publishing all of her works using one thumb on the touch screen of her smartphone, surviving at an income of a fraction of her nation’s poverty level. She would treasure any donation you might care to offer ~ http://www.UgiftABLE.com ● #72D-31S.

Please be aware that it takes several days for the poet to be notified of contributions. International patrons please contact the poet via email or post a comment for the necessary numbers.

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