Pain (Both Physical and Mental)

You left me hurting like I need another pill
But when I'm sober my bones always feel a chill
Oxycodone seems to barely kill the pain
But if I have too much, I lose track of my brain
And diet soda always seems to rot my teeth
They're falling out, revealing gum disease beneath
The ones that I still have are starting to turn grey
My jaw locks up on any given winter day

This is price you pay for not taking care
I should've saved my cash, now I'm losing my hair
Kidneys barely work, and liver always throbs
So pissed off at my lungs for not doing their job
When you get older, everything shuts down
If I was king of decay then they'd award me a crown
When you're American, this is what's normal
All the world laughs at us for being informal

But why complain, when I live in luxury?
Unlike the population begging on the streets
When I was young you had to earn what you were given
Now just for standing there they want a gold ribbon
Crime seems to be on the rise, but I still feel good
I never made the choice to stay in the hood
I'm just a product of whatever I sought out
I'm a product of risk and reward, not endless fear and doubt

Copyright 2014 © Stephen Gedney

Plenty

Your tattoos are shoddy
The ink starts to run
A taste of quicksilver
Burned out from the sun
Loss of all pheromones
And blood on the street
Losing your sanity
Faith feels so bleak

Never before the asphalt was stained
Except when the rosebushes gave you a prick
Hell freezes over with seconds to burn
Then all your ideas now start to click
So many colors blur right past your eyes
Suddenly longing for more black and white
Future's uncertain while questions remain
But hey, you should be happy you still have your sight

Copyright 2014 © Stephen Gedney