Jeffrey, Interrupted

You picked a path when met with fork And trod it bare so oft you walked Into a tunnel so wretched and corrupted You slipped away, Jeffrey interrupted Wednesday’s child is full of woe But my May child has far to go A decade times two your sacrifice Fool’s gold for that roll of dice Your values anorexic, almost starved to death In the winter of your soul I cannot see your breath Countless earnest declarations to all that you are well But still you keep on walking through the raging gates of hell Mephistopheles offered you a bargain so appealing It mattered not to you to know that he’d be double-dealing His sly smile belied the fingers crossed behind his crooked tail You’re at a losing table, out of chips, and you’re no whale Your dreams were long forgotten, and sadly never stoked If I hadn’t watched this happen I would have thought it a sick joke Something else seduced you and it surely did beguile Enough to make you believe that your life was not worthwhile You saw yourself in visions, amber glass contained your poison False idols tempt with silent gestures - like a sailor lured by sirens You go through good intentions like a sieve, like sand through glass Earnest promises, years gone by, crises survived, but more forecast For years I have done so many things to save you from yourself, my Jeff I’ve run out of ideas to keep you whole, I’ve really nothing left Like any loving mother I do not wish to see you in a tomb And if I could, I would place you back into the safety of my womb