Don’t ask the gods if they sent
sedatives to cure the pain
those aches of body’s frame
or the trials of mind’s domain

indulgence in the medicine
not prescribed but still pursued
by the drink or much more
addressing woes all deplore

removing more than agony
when composure is reduced
inebriation of the whole
in pursuit of the profane

to be wasted is called a sin
this sacrament now denied
even as the misery
demands a world that’s more humane.

© 2019. Sean Green. All Rights Reserved. 20190817.