Delusions

I was born into noise Raised by confusion and smoke Forty-one years breathing Still choking on jokes Seen lives fold quietly Behind clean words and smiles People calling it healing While they rot in denial Met souls with pharmacy eyes Hope shaking loose in a jar They look at me with my bottle Like I’m the one gone too far They say, “You’re unwell” Like it’s scripture, like law But their sickness comes sanctioned Mine just reeks of the bar I drink to feel something They swallow to disappear But somehow numb gets a trophy And honesty buys you fear Everybody’s medicated Nobody’s free They don’t want truth They want quiet compliance And silence labeled “healthy” This world ain’t sick It’s anesthetized Flatlined with a smile And a hashtag disguise Men learn fast Keep your mouth shut, stay alone Strength gets punished And weakness gets a throne I don’t rage at the chaos I study the stain I watch sanity buried Under progress and pain So hear me now Low, slow, precise— The real illness ain’t the drink It’s a world Terrified Of open eyes