But I've Learnt To Live With It

The ragged sound of the city surrounds me,

But I’ve learnt to live with it.

The constant buzz of a cellular insect hounds me,

Chirruping, hooting, screeching, banging, beeping, vibrating,

But I’ve learnt to live with it.

Decomposition extends its filthy tentacles,

Trying to ensnare me, reaching out for me,

Begging for the touch of another human being,

Or just the feel of cold metal or paper,

Stumps reach out and tap my shoulder or grab at my shirt,

But I’ve learnt to live with it.

A modern Hades lives around me,

With inked bodies and pierced minds,

Breathing fire and sniffing for white gold,

But I’ve learnt to live with it.

The open space of a 2 x 4 cell is now all I have to myself,

That too with an elbow or arm or thigh thrown in for free,

I breathe in what you breathe out,

But I’ve learnt to live with it.

Pieces of broken glass stand between

Me and my fun day of play with the ball,

And ’fessing up’s not the answer,

All it’ll get me is a resounding reward,

Lying is now my biggest virtue,

But I’ve learnt to live with it.

I’ll have your cake, you eat mine,

I just forgot I had the bigger half,

Who needs a palace of cards to live in?

I’ve seen them do with plastic sheet walls and an asbestos roof.

The glaring eye of the societal eagle is on me constantly,

But I’ve learnt to live with it.

I’m too afraid to ask the right questions,

I’m too scared to make that call,

I’m terrified of meeting my demons,

But I’ve learnt to live with the rot in me.

The book doesn’t end here, only a chapter.