Artistic Interpretations with Margaret - Willard Asylum

Lisa Gordon Photography

From the Diary of Anna Anderson: 

I. Open Ward at the Elisabeth Hospital, Berlin 1920

My tongue is a spoon
Does that explain it?  Door opens  door
closes.   White coats stammer the threshold.

for the rest of the poem, click HERE (from "Sum of Every Lost Ship", by Allison Titus)

and HERE is another.

This is a rather in-depth and "linked" challenge.  I apologize it isn't more straightforward and if you don't have time, please feel free to write to one of the two images presented on this post.  

Lisa Gordon is a photographer I have followed almost since the beginning of my blogging life.  Her sensitivity and talent never fails to delight me.

The photo above is from the Willard Asylum, opened in 1869, closed in 1995.  She toured this facility and photographed it   On her blog post of May 19, 2013 she writes:

"Just a little over 8 months ago I read about a project that to me, is a photographer's dream.  Named "The Willard Suitcases", it is an ongoing project by photographer Jon Crispin, who is photographing the contents of suitcases left behind by patients of The Willard Insane Asylum.  Located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, the asylum opened in 1869 and was closed in 1995.  During the time it was operational, 50,000 patients called it home.  Six thousand died there.  Of those, 5,776 now rest in graves marked with only a number and a stick topped by a red flag.  There names are unknown.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to tour Willard.  I cannot adequately describe the state of disrepair many of the buildings are in, and more than that, how it felt to be inside some of the buildings, so I will let the photographs speak for themselves.  These are NOT "feel-good" photographs.

 - her favorite photos are HERE.

We are allowed to use these images linked above with our poems if we give credit to Lisa Gordon and a link to her web-site, Lisa Gordon Photography.

BUT WAIT, there is more.

Lisa Gordon Photography

Jon Crispin is an artist who recently completed a successful Kickstarter compaign to fund his "Willard Suitcases" project.  HERE is an article written by David Rosenberg of "Slate" introducing and explaining the "Willard Suitcases" project.

HERE is Jon Crispin's personal website.  You will find some of the suitcases and their contents photographed and his thoughts shared.  We do not have permission to use his thoughts and images (I did not ask) so do not plagiarize or take his images.  I linked so that we can get inspiration from them.  If you do, please help spread the awareness of this project by also mentioning it on your post.

* * *

A bit of Additional information about Willard Psychiatric Center (a timeline)  HERE

There was a performance called "The Echos of Willard" It took five of the suitcases and their contents and used live performance to bring the patients to life …  HERE is the link and the five people: Irma, Rodrigo, Madeline, Dmytre, and Ethel are highlighted and linked in the header.   I would have loved to see this performance!

… some notes:  I'd like to think not all experiences in the asylums were bad, perhaps for some, it was a better place to be?  I'd like to think the doctors and staff did their best with the "known" medicine of the time - which of course, today, we are left feeling horrified at many of the treatments the patients received.

Many mentally ill patients were thought to be ill due to moral or spiritual failings.  Punishment and shame were often handed down to the mentally ill as well as their families.  

U.S. National Library of Medicine: Diseases of the Mind  is interesting reading.

Write a poem that is full of personal emotion, sentiment, longing, confusion… wherever your mind takes you.  I want this poem to be written in first person.  You may take on the persona of someone from history, a book, a movie, or just one you imagine.  

Mr. Linky is ready and waiting below.  Please enter your specific post and for this challenge.  I am looking for new and original poems.  If Sunday is a busy day, remember, tomorrow is Open Link Monday here at the Garden and you are free to post there as well.  Now of with your creative selves, and give me your best artistic interpretations!