I Beg to Differ

I shy away from you as I would from a needle,
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.

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 curled into the night,
And days became months,

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 on clean bathroom floors,
Mumbling our holy books and nursery rhymes
As we drift off into voiceless sleep.