Help me!
I’m stuck in the middle of my life
And I can’t get out
I’ve tried
Yes
I’ve tried
At night
I slip into two-dimensional roles
Between commercials
And change personalities
Like shoes
I’m funny and popular
And adventurous
But when I return
I am only me
Oh the internet!
What glorious escape!
In the eerie glow of an unlit room
Tapping time with phantom friends
But you can only dance so long
With shadows
I’ve tried romance
But romance is for the hungry
And the reckless young
I covet their daring
In fond recollection
As I roll over
To the comfort
Of passionless caresses
I go to work
And back each day
A round monotony
Of churning debt
Tired toys fill
The shrinking rooms
Of my house
While the car I yearned to drive
Succumbs
To dirt and dent
I’ve tried to escape
Smooth vodka on sharp ice
Emboldens me
To intemperate affairs
Of foggy regret
Still
The bottles call
Whispering false hopes
And songs of despair
The bottles call
And always will
I would read my way out
But I haven’t the time
To sit still
I would travel away
But for all I couldn’t leave behind
That litter my life
The shackles of success are righteous
In their own way
That whore freedom beckons
Winking slyly
Carefree
But I understand
It all comes at a price
A price too high
If you ask me
Even if I had the currency
The answer skulks
Behind the question
Like a fat snake
Basking in the sun
Digesting my desires
Proudly content
James K. Richardson