The Boy Who Took Medication For His Problems
I heard about a boy
who had lots of friends
but most of them weren’t real:
they would sit with him
at the restaurant and read the Times
while he decided what to order
and they came fairly complete
with their own
clothes
and books
and combs
and thoughts
and
baggage;
his friends had birthdays too
and it wasn’t that he made them up
(not exactly) but that he understood
the way time works
he had read
Feynman + Einstein + Michio Kaku
and he could see what they saw:
an inevitability:
3. contracted pneumonia
at the vulnerable age of 8
and when she was brought to the hospital
the nurse administered too much potassium
and stopped her heart;
the rest were never born
but he saw those people
that live in other worlds:
each one with just one tiny spin
and so he sat
alone every morning at the breakfast table
with his friends
his real friends
and pointed out problems in the economy
and he loved
all the interesting things they had to say
about foreign policy.
but then the boy
started choking on white pills
and soon his life started to change
things became more clear
and his friends stopped calling
and slowly, they stopped coming over
to spend the night or to play baseball.
and so now he’s sitting
alone every morning at the breakfast table
with his friends
his real friends
what a bore.
Copyright © Paul Sylvester | Year Posted 2005
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