Two Pills

Each morning I place them on a plate

Two sleek rectangular pills

“Just for today”, I contemplate

And swallow them whole to treat my ills

My moods are fickle and don’t behave

Though sometimes I am calm and serene

Other times I’m rough like ocean waves

Crashing, subsiding and everything in between

My words can be so eloquent

Or make no sense at all

I grasp to understand my impediment

But sometimes, you know, I fall

Imagination on fire

I often rise, impetuous and grand

And all I want is to go higher

It’s my soul’s only demand

Other times all I feel is rage

I won’t ask, but I’ll want sympathy

For sitting in my self-made cage

Filled with self-pity

But here again is the medicine

“They” say will remedy

Just make it a part of my regimen

And I’ll have “normalcy”

Friends say the pills will keep me sane

Other people say they’re a crutch

I’m on the lookout for someone to blame

For why I am so out of touch

So another morning has come and passed

The plate is empty and I’ve swallowed these two

It’s just for today – the effects won’t last

But until tomorrow I’m through

I wish I’d find another way

Than chemically dosing my ills

To keep the bitter moods at bay

Without taking those two pills

But the choices I make are up to me

To feed my peace or agitate

The chances I take are up to me

To live “natural” or medicate

And it’s okay to choose each day

To consider what for me is best

I don’t have to strive to find my way

I’m going to take a mental rest

02/27/2023 © Miriam Shanks. All Right Reserved.