Flipping The Switch Poem by Bryan Ode

Flipping the switch, closing the shades
Striped pajama pants fly atop the digital clock
Blocking the light from the external- a successful molecule block
As restless as the empty being was, into dreams he finally fades

The dazzling genie swoops down from the stars
Offering to wipe away the awkward invisible shell that came from nowhere
Gleeful thoughts arise, like the blissful memory of times with friends, the car’s stereo blasting
Like seeing Aladdin at the outdoor Imax in his youth, a memory he has never ceased to bear
The earache crept up on him causing distress and a short lived temper tantrum

The being would trade his mindless state for something more attractive
Zoo animals have noted his recent failure to be socially active,
For unknown reason an invisible shell has put him in zombie mode
As if contentedness required a secret unknown pin code.

Decaying conversations with acquaintances, he is growing weary
The succulent brain is growing to epically large proportions-
He would trade this for a daily earache and a world of fewer inhibitions
“Please take permanent residence in my brain “ repeats the being
Perhaps the genie will cohere, create a permanent nesting spot in his brain
Perception of reality, molding like Play-Doh from the young days, will be restored
But for now there is overly sensitive cranial activity and growing quietness – yet flat as a board
Characteristics of being recently shell shocked
Like an empty cruise ship not knowing when it will return to being crammed with happy people,
It sits in the mundane harbor, for the moment, docked.