Once upon a time we put

The mad at the end of the village

We enchained them

Like wild beasts

And beat them to death ...

Once upon a time

We built the Asylums

And surrounded them with

Tall walls

Bighting wire

And isolation

Ted Volcin's poetry has always explored his inner life and feelings as he attempted to immerse himself in the struggles of those around him.

In a debut collection of thoughtful poems, Volcin shares a profound, philosophical meditation about the meaning of madness across humanity and life itself while shining a light on the brutality surrounding the centuries-long isolation of mentally ill people from the rest of society. His poems offer a raw, candid look into life inside mental institutions where its occupants must endure unthinkable torture while precariously hanging on the edge of human darkness.

Asylums is a volume of poetry that provides a lyrical glimpse into the lives of hundreds of the anonymous forgotten, neglected, and forsaken asylum heroes.