Conversations Angels And Demons (Part Four) Poem by Eric Cockrell

standing in the middle of a parking
lot, talking to an old man...

he said: 'i've never seen it
this bad... everybody on edge,
struggling, scared...
nobody knows what's going to
happen...
and hell, half of everybody you
meet, or more, taking them damn
pills...'

'yea, they come in here all the
time, middle of the day, whacked out...'

'pills and poverty go together... you
cant make it, cant stand the pressure,
they prescribe you the pills.'

'i think the medical profession got it
started, and it's mushroomed... into
some kind of evil disease.'

'i know a man, worked with him for twenty
years... him and his wife used to come over
and eat with us, play cards... they were
like family.
him and her got to having problems, he started
beating her... found out he was on the pills.'

'what happened to them? '

'well, he lost his job. they lost the house,
pretty much all they had. she left him. he tried
to kill her, but the law stopped him.
i tried to talk to him the other day. he told
me 'he couldnt live without her'...
i told him, 'no, he couldnt live without the
pills'...
tried to talk him into getting some help...
but he wouldnt listen...'

'yea, it's tough. you cant help somebody
that wont admit they need help... the woman
all right? '

'she's working, trying to start over... it's
hard for her...'

i shook his hand, and walked away. pills...
another weapon of ignorance!