John Grochalski- A Poem

aspirin bottle

aspirin bottle

on the nightstand

mingling

with the alarm clock

and my insomnia

a sure sign

that i’ve been drinking

too much again

this aspirin bottle

reflecting in the

moonlight

shows me a lack of stamina

age creeping in

inability becoming manifest destiny

like my legs getting tired

on the walk  to work

falling asleep

on the couch

to a bad book or movie

this aspirin bottle

housing the little white pill

that i must take

for the headaches

for the unrepentant hangovers

this plastic green bottle

that hasn’t left

the nightstand in months

that just plain sits there

like a statue

like home decor

like a harbinger of doom

a glittery talisman

or a beacon

letting me know

how much

i’m pushing

and pushing

and that the world

will only

push back harder

with each new

and passing

day.


Bio:  John Grochalski is the author of two books of poems The Noose Doesn’t Get Any Looser After You Punch Out (Six Gallery Press 2008) and Glass City (Low Ghost Press, 2010).  Grochalski currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he constantly worries about the high cost of everything.