Lee Crowell - the heartache

there's a guy who gets up for work at 5am
he shaves, showers, puts on a clean shirt with matching tie
checks himself in the mirror
just before he leaves
he plucks his heartache from the nightstand
and places it in his briefcase

when he gets to the office
he sets his heartache on the shelf above his desk
next to the photos of his family

on weekends he can be seen at the market
or on a walk through the park
carrying his heartache in a brown paper bag

for social events this guy pins his heartache on his chest
as though it is a badge of honor
while everyone else thinks he looks pathetic

once the guy went to a therapist because he didn't want to live anymore
he sat in a chair with his heartache cupped carefully in his hands
when the therapist asked him if he had an actual plan to carry out the suicide he said no
so she wrote him a prescription and totally ignored his heartache

the guy just left frustrated
muttering to his heartache
'ok i'll take you for coffee
but i'm not buying you a doughnut today'

utilizing a technique they are famously known for
the heartache conjured up a menacing stare
a stare to freeze the guy's world
and when the stun of the situation
finally melted
the guy fell back into his old ways
allowing the heartache to dictate
and forfeiting the slightest amount of control

Lee Crowell

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-heartache/