
Did I promise to tell you the truth with all these lines
Or did I promise to lie until each of them rhymes?
I can’t hold an honest conversation about my pain
Not thinking it’s a competition that consumes my brain.
Yes, I’m sick, swallowed by the system and chewed up,
Looking like a normal product of society, maybe, somewhat.
My left foot chained to a curling iron thinning it out,
My right arm drained of its blood by panic and yesterday’s doubt.
But you might pass me in the street wondering how I’m so well –
And truthfully, no one but me could really tell
How a mess of a human presents that well on the front page
Or the Facebook feed of another lover I blocked with rage…
Did I promise to tell you the truth with these lines
Or did I promise to lie until each of them rhymes?
Whatever you heard – must be worth all the energy to get this far,
And if you believe that I’m being honest, you might have a heart.
-JW