Gestation Crate

The concrete floor is constantly cold
against my chest
I can’t turn around
I piss and shit where I am
like I am an invalid
the slats in the floor
drain it away
but the smell stays
stinging my eyes
my nose,
always there
like the grunts of my sisters 
trapped in my ears
trapped in our crates
with our babies moving inside us.
I wonder if they 
will take them away 
like they did before.
I feel my neighbour 
her feet touch me when she lays down
she is like a stranger.
I watch her as she chews the bars
her tongue rolls stupidly 
from her frothy mouth
I look into her eye
but she is far away
lost and helpless
she doesn’t move when they come
and poke her and kick her and shout at her and throw cold water on her
I whisper 
I tell her
maybe this time it will be different
that we will walk away. 
She doesn’t understand me.
She is completely mad.