Just went to a play on campus, “The Right to Be Forgotten,” by Sharyn Rothstein. Powerful, thought-provoking, and acted by lovely people I find in my writing classrooms. While I was watching, part of my brain (the wallpaper?) thought about how I’d have to find time to squeeze writing this poem in, and posting it — on the internet, where it will live forever.
On the other hand, I’m fairly sure that no one but me is really reading this. And a few SpamBots.
Half Dose Sertraline Blues
Watching the maple’s shadow stretch
Across the greening thatch
The Velvet Underground on the iPhone
Burbling “Oh Sweet Nuthin”
Coke Zero zinging capped teeth
Typing this third lame attempt
To make art from the achingly mundane
The drone of someone’s mower
These glasses that refuse to bring
Anything into focus
And now The Rolling Stones telling me
”… still I’m gonna miss you …”
I said I needed to feel again
And cut the happy pills in half
I said I needed to feel again
While she whacked my world in half
I said I wanted to be here 100%
So I boldly chopped the dose
Said I needed all my wits
While she set everything on fire
Spring is apparently here now
Pretending to be light and breezy
It’s all going to be okay
She smugly announces over ashes
She only cut off all our noses
To save our ungrateful faces
