PREVENTING TEEN COUGH MEDICINE ABUSE

the poem I started with you in a motel
plateaued the poem I started with you

in a motel started spending evenings
at home with a rapid heart beat we were not

in a motel the poem was in that place
with my hair draped across your chest

and something was wet it was unclear
what did I mention there was a rapid

heartbeat there was a raw unfinished
form there was an out-of-body skittling

with distortions of color and sound,
which is to say that you were

so beautiful in those dangerous
side effects that I couldn’t

help it there were no programs
I couldn’t help it no matter

how many pamphlets I couldn’t
help it could be abused the

combination we left the bedspread
on I just (dextromethorphan) swooned

 

—Erika Meitner