Have A Cup Of Hades Poem by Raj Dronamraju

It was never the compliments
Which seemed macabre when viewed from any angle not connected to self-delusion

It was never a preamble that allowed for salesmanship
There were no empty spaces in which to drive a wedge through
Such a truck sized wedge operated on a fuel refined from childhood deprivation

All of them when confronted with a wide horizon, a limitless sky, no sense of atmosphere or clouds come down with a case of agoraphobia

They chew their fingernails down to the nubs and shiver uncontrollably
When taken out of their tubercular environments
Their environments they manage with a mania for controlling every outcome

What they've envisioned is nothing like what could really happen to you

A version - You get up, have a cup of coffee, uneventful employment, mid-week lull
Your version - Struggle to the surface, have a cup of Hades, I want to burn down this effing place
And you'll end up sharing that cup of Hades with an irritant or two before sundown

Stop wasting my time with scenarios of unlikely possibilities and let go of a weighted liability
Let it sink under the waves without any fanfare
Why down under the waves without a face mask, you suddenly decide to give it up?

It was like there was no more nervousness
It was like crying in someone's open arms
This has never happened before