i keep swinging back and forth
between two points drawn in the sand
that look like abstract faces
waking up for the first time
my headphone’s settings are too loud
and it hurts to listen to run the jewels yelling about social injustice
while sipping on blueberry acai herbal tea that i bought
with a .70 cent off coupon that made it seem like a deal,
but because the tea kinda tastes like
spoiled hotdogs steeped in sewage water,
i’m not entirely sure it was worth it
i once tried to slow down,
but the espresso in my veins wouldn’t let me,
and my flesh started to peel back,
a fever settled in,
my hair went gray,
and my vision blurred
Fred Aiken Writing 