Solitary confinement of those left behind
Locked away on the viewing platform
Segregated from all that was known
The lawful deprivation of the marginalized
An immoral ruling of the hypocritical
The harm is well known
And so ignored
The inconvenience of innocence
Taken away to be justified
Finding a place to turn inside
The dark room of echoes
Is this all the best have to offer?
Poverty confines in structures of stigma
How is repeating the problem a solution?
-Camille Delaquise
This poem appears in Behind the Facade, Camille’s debut contemporary poetry collection. Solitary confinement of those left behind speaks to the institutional punishment of poverty — exposing how marginalised lives are isolated, stigmatised and harmed under systems that mistake cruelty for order.
This poem is available as a contemporary poetry print on textured recycled card.