Red and White Pills

By Allison Toomer

Every morning I take

Those red and white pills

-

Some mornings they take their claws

And climb out of my mouth,

And I spit out my water over the sink

-

Some mornings they slide down my throat

With the copper drink I call liquid gold

It is possible to calm this beast

-

Once it is down, though,

It shakes me wild, howling at the moon

And tearing at my inside mind

While leaving me dry and void

Of the very thing that gives me life

-

The only reason I keep this beast

Is to tame the beast inside me

And if I fight fire with fire,

I can come out alive