Do you know how I feel?
Locked behind these walls
A name that nobody calls.
Idiot, feeble minded, lunatic:
Are the walls really so thick?
Being labelled as a maniac.
Do we ever fight back?
Feel wind on flowing hair?
Can I pick what I want to wear?
Do I have my own home?
Am I allowed to freely roam?
Did you pick up our sword-
See this as untoward-
Are we people yet?
Deaf, dumb, blind, imbecile,
I pray you don’t know how I feel.
Yours faithfully,
Eliza Poskill, Imbecile, age 15.
A creative response to the ‘Shush, Snip, Rip’ exhibition, by Imogen Kate 2024.