Two Pills
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Dealing with a mood disorder, this piece explores the difficulty in having to rely on medications.
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.
