I beg to differ

I shy away from you
as I would from a needle,
I swear though you are nowhere near as unpleasant
(I swear)
Dripping and shining medical green as the nurse's lips move
Slow and silent.

This won't hurt a bit.

How we all beg to differ, to widen our eyes
and tug on our tongues,
To refuse and walk away, out into the summer,
Gleaming sea-glass blue and waiting.
To be painfree...

But instead, we tense our muscles and wait for the injection,
A pinprick, an infiltration,
a beginning
an ending
Anything to break the rhythm of feet against sidewalks,
The waves of words against our minds.

Those nurses spoke too soon,
Clouded our eyes with yellow promises
And too-quick smiles
As the sun curls into the night,
And days become months...
(you'll fade)
And I'll follow you into non-existance.

New Years come and gone
In champagne rocket sprays of song,
Flurries of kisses under soft stage lights,
Somber hellos, drunken goodbyes,
All those vacant words
and
wasted time.

So even the best of us are left
with ourselves,
within ourselves
on clean bathroom floors,
Mumbling our holy books and nursery rhymes
As we drift off
into
voiceless sleep.