Poems, October 2024

I get into the office late
My body wouldn't let me get out of bed
Despite the morning meeting

I spilled my morning coffee
My hands wouldn't let me drink anymore
Despite the report I need to focus on

I bite my tongue during lunch
As if to stop me from saying yes to any more work
Even my mouth demands I don't rush my lunch again

But
I will stay late tonight
I will pour another coffee
I will numb my swollen tongue
And I will do so consciously

But the unconscious rebellion continues
My empty stomach cramps and bubbles
My eyes pop out of a hollowed face
My knuckles crack with each typed key
And I feel it all

Work may have tamed my mind
But it cannot tame my body
My soul's last refuge
From where it mounts a resistance
Hoping to make me whole again