The Inevitable

A Poem

Every day I wake up and curse the man I was at night

I promise myself that I’ll break free from his bondage and carve a new path

As the light moves further west I can feel it slipping away

My strength. My courage. My pride

“No god damn you!” I curse to the heavens

I let the darkness envelope me in its cold and unforgiving bosom

They say early to bed

And early to rise

Makes a young boy happy

Healthy, and wise

Yet each day I feel my wits grow dimmer

Even as I lie in bed awaiting the moon’s call to stage

The weighted blanket can’t smother the demons

The sitcom reruns can only distract them for so long

I told myself I wouldn’t do it again

All day it was my mantra

Be strong. Be brave. Be a man

But the clock moves like a plague

Unforgiving and cruel

I’ve been here before

And I know how this ends

So I breathe a sigh of shame

In the direction of my wife

She stirs around to confront me

“what are you waiting for?” She says

And for once in my life

I have not an answer

She’s right

All I have done

And all I will ever do

Is prolong the inevitable

My knees crackle as I fling them

Over the bed and to the floor

To begin my coward’s march

Towards the light of the fridge

And yet another pint of ice cream

Meets its demise

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash