In Search of Mental Health

There are doctors, shrinks, nurses and those
Who work for the state and this's how it goes.
Mental health is a hard, hard row to hoe,
But onward and upward we must go.

The office is dressed on the inside with care
In hopes that our patients soon will be here.
Summer is here and we're turning the page,
Making our way and earning our wage.

We waited, we watched, we hoped and we yearned,
Looking for a pay raise as the season turned.
No money came forth, but we hope for the best
As we work and we struggle and face the new test.

Each day is different, yet each day's the same.
The regional manager gives us the blame.
We work so damn hard and the hours go so slow.
When the work's done, there's little to show.

The patients live in their own special world,
And sometimes I feel like my life has been hurled.
I get up each morning and come to this place
Where I earn my living and run the good race.

The problems we deal with are huge and so wide,
Yet specific and awesome and stirrng inside.
The people we help so often don't care.
Sometimes it's more than a person can bear.

I face each day with my face to the wheel
And push and push as I falter and reel.
It's worth my effort and the way that I work
For with nothing to do, I'm just a big jerk.

Retirement awaits somewhere down the road
And we walk the path and do what we're told.
When the years pass and we're out in our pasture,
We'll look back and laugh at this huge disaster.