The police get in their squad car
and drive away
without the woman with the dead eyes

The neighbors watch
disappointed
They believe she is dangerous
to herself or others
mainly others:
them

They’ve just about given up
on the woman with the dead eyes being committed
and locked away in a state mental hospital
for the rest of her life

They know that mental health beds are limited these days
and it’s rare for the mentally ill
to be committed

They’re more likely to be put in jail
or prison
Prisons are the new state hospitals

The Corrections lobby
was far more powerful
than the Mental Hospital lobby

They don’t think they’ll call the police again
They worry that it makes her madder
each time the police visit

They don’t know about her fantasy
about having a threesome with cops
in which they sexually brutalize her

They don’t know how sick she is
but they think they’re finally going
to sell their house
and move to Florida

find a trailer park
that screens its residents
so none of their neighbors
will be
dangerous to themselves or others