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