Renée Ingersoll

As Poetry Recycles Neurons

5/14/13

Neuro Reverie

Neuro Reverie

“..The criminal as, anatomically and physiologically, an organic anomaly.”
(Rose and Abi-Rached, Neuro; 169)

“During the last fifteen years there is no specific work in criminal anthropology to be recorded…”
(Rose and Abi-Rached, Neuro; 169)

Call me a criminal anthropologist,
working with those anatomic
physiologic
anomalies
you call delinquents
I’ve ridden the ride
without the jail time
just the person on the other end of that payphone
hoping it will only be months, not years

Call me a criminal anthropologist
whose fallen in love with her subjects
once she saw the other side of their dark moons
why they’re even pushing to begin with
which moms and dads were
abusive
alcoholics
crack addicts
or just too young for parenting
hoping they won’t turn out like them

Call me a criminal anthropologist
torn between my real world
and trying to pull them out of the game
if everyone knew them like I do
they wouldn’t be looked down upon
in that way that stops them from trying to get jobs
one felony doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to eat
without food stamps
or flipping molly for gas station food

Call me a criminal anthropologist
but i’d rather be called their friend