I have lost my way,

somewhere between here and there,

the signpost was deliberately shifted,

my objective clouded over

and when I look around me,

when I see the empty spaces

I feel the scream, primitive, course,

objectionable, intolerable, my hidden fear

of what is to come,

rise up and take control.

 

I plan ahead to confuse it,

it makes great sport, it fights harder

to wear me down but I am ready

and armed, equipped with sarcasm,

fortified by codeine and prepared

to fight till the energy is gone,

the trouble is, the essence, the four stroke

is running out quicker that the attendants

can cope with as they shake their heads

and point to the sign on the pump

emblazoned in crayon,

regulars only, all others find another way.

 

I have lost my way

and the map, the diagram

has been taken away.

 

Ian D. Hall 2016.