Gotta take these meds
to keep me straight in the head
like the judge and jury said
you’re no good to me dead.
So I swallow my comfort,
sleep in my tears
bathe in my hurt
and forget my fears.
The kids need new shoes
and a mom with no blues
the dog needs a new dish,
these damn pills make me sick.
Don’t quite understand
how transgressors get off,
yet I feel I just got handed
a life sentence from this cop.
I plead my case,
the gavel comes down,
what an awful waste,
“Guilty, cause you gave a damn.”
Sentenced to die
here in this life I live
don’t ever ask why
he never did.
Sittin’ in this room
I shrug when the doc asks
“How long you been this blue?”
I think “awhile” as I remember back.
I take the script,
walk out feeling whipped
make a mental note
remember toothpaste, gin and soap.
I wake up suddenly,
can’t get back to sleep
take a Benadryl
to help with the
side effects of this
damn pill.
Finally I doze,
my body content
doused with emotion killers
and slaughtered lament.
I catch a clip,
from a dream that won’t quit,
that little girl smiling
in a polka dot dress
that looks like the pills
she’s been swallowing.
The Warrior Within 