Insomnia

God, he was so tired.

No matter how hard he worked,

How hard he played,

Sleep eluded him.

Insomnia

The doctor nods sagely,

Jotting illegible scribbles

On his clipboard.

This is the sixth prescription;

Yet another bottle of sleeping pills

With a name he didn't even try to pronounce.

What else was new?

However, he popped them anyway,

Chasing them with a swig of coppery water,

Cut the lights,

And settled to sleep.

Refreshed.

The next morning,

He woke.

He couldn't believe how awake,

How absolutely rejuvinated he felt!

A deep, dreamless sleep

Announcing itself as absolute bliss.

He phoned the doctor;

They'd found the right type and dose.

Both of them were happy.

Coworkers marveled at productivity,

Even his boss patted him on the back.

His friends were overjoyed

At his activity at the gym,

How energized and animated he was.

They played a game of baseball;

He struck five home runs,

Running and making them all.

It was a good day.

And another good night

As dreamless sleep took him once more.

Another refreshing morning.

Over time though,

The pills weakened.

His doctor upped the doses.

They both hoped

It'd be enough.

He took four.

Six.

Eight.

Ten.

But the effects

Only continued to wane.

Desperation struck one night.

He downed the whole bottle;

All he wanted was the sleep,

The energy,

The way his life had changed

For the better in the beginning!

The officers collected the body

That had been missing

For two weeks.

They informed his parents

That their child would not be visiting

For Christmas that year,

Or for any other.

The doctor was investigated

For malpractice.

After all, the only difference between poison and medicine...

Is the dosage.