Sacramento Poem by Raj Dronamraju

I only need to see you once a year at the most
Like at a birthday or a new year's greeting
And you'll deliver that dusty old line (when asked how are you) "getting laid, getting paid"

One of them will playact as your personal psychiatrist probing for incident
What it means is I tried to forget you and was finally successful
I can spare you one day out of many

They'll conspire by using a family approach
Treat you to dinner at your favorite restaurant
Bring out the past abusive routine when you are too sated to move

I don't need to see you at all
Not in person, not through phone calls or letters
A tough century for those who expect no complaints for how they treat people

That's the nearest big city to your rural displeasure
Dissatisfaction with how you're treated in a closed environment
Close to the way out, the way out is a dream of another place