Cough Syrup

Scratch- Smear- Tear at broken flesh.
Broken glass shines in wet roads.
Cement made damp. Drip- Drip-Drip.
Silence like a knife. Silence of sterling lithium.
Sedatives. So many sedatives.
I taste cough syrup, I can smell ether. Dirty ether.
Cough. Coughing up words, coughing up damnation.
Slipping. Slipping ever slipping to the center of the world.
Falling. Always falling never touching down.
I'd break every bone in my body if it meant feeling earth.
Dirty earth. Gritty earth. Truthful earth.
Scratch- Smear- Ripping open old wounds.
Tears. Salty tears pour down from swollen eyes.
Sympathetic eyes, empathetic eyes.
Tears pouring from apathetic eyes.
Children playing in candy striped jumpsuits.
Children rolling down checker board hills clad in straitjackets.
Soon enough they all start laughing.