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.

Previous
Previous

The truth cannot be forgotten

Next
Next

Apathy