sick
by sue wolf

sick i am
in a hospital full of rage
small for my age
ten
mom, high on fentynel or men
hears my diagnosis is cancer
her answer
flee
heroin brighter
son than me

alone and all gone
no one to count on
i fight
and flight
to the hands of the institutional clock on the wall
the pall
of pain
lifts
one tik tok
at a time
a fine
rhyme no
reason
to live
as if
i already ran out of time

i fake not scared
the devil may care
beware
my logic
if I live I will die
if I die I will live
a legend
hedgin’
my bet against the house
never a home


finally
the body heals
but the mind reveals
a newborn
risk to die
so I fly high
full tilt
and hold everyone
at gun point
at one point
my tears of dyin’
are bullets
that rip thru your heartfelt lyin’
about when
my moms will come back for me
until then
I’m solo
so low
in foster care
aware
there was no mother
no father

no bother
i survived
but
who
really
was
sick