I spit into the same river

            but different water

 

Even the reflection

            has aged a day

 

And tomorrow

            is the last day

 

For reading obituaries

            and new recipes for health

 

No more advice columns

            and no more comics

 

No more TV schedules

            and sports updates

 

I will awakened at 4:30

            in the dark without newsprint

 

I don’t know how long

            I’ve maintained this reinforcer

 

And that belies

            it’s length

 

But as you sink and get sucked

            further into the whirlpool

 

You let go

            of the non-essentials

 

And try to remember

            what you hold dear

 

I’ve let go of fear and of God

            I’ve let go of friends and family

 

When I look down

            my hands are empty

 

And the only pages to turn

            will be my own