What cruelty is done in the name of compassion.

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In the middle of the 20th century, the popularity of the lobotomy as a means of treatment for a wide range of mental illnesses resulted in a staggering number of casualties. It is estimated that for every successful lobotomy, two others resulted in moderate to severe neurological damage. The procedure's major proponent, Dr. Walter Freeman, adapted the surgery so that it could be quickly performed with a common icepick. The flagrant barbarism of this technique alone should call the ethics of its practice into question, but its widespread use for treatment of criminal behavior, neurosis, and even disobedient temperment in children should inspire us question the ethics of a culture all too willing to unquestioningly accept it into common psychiatric use.

raise the blade
direct the saw
latex
taut on fingers
caressing convolutions
sever the connections

eyes eyes eyes eyes eyes that go dead

instruments are cleaned
in time with a breath
lungs expand at a reflexive command
heart will beat
blood will flow
pain is gone at the expense of the will

incision will heal
cells will mend
mouth will be dry
eyes will lie still
anaesthetized
can barely feel
a blow to the head
at the sockets of the eyes

what cruelty is done
in the name of compassion