The American Way

The American Way

                   (I can't wait until it's a MEMORY!)

I wake up and you wrap yourself around me
A grip nothing in me wants to escape
But I need food
And I need money
So I tear myself away

You're hanging onto my ankles
I'm dragging you across the floor
But I manage to break free
The shower hits me

Water, water, coffee, water
I can drown you out
And my brain pounds every second
Like feet stomping on the pavement

A machine oiled with caffeine
Eating crackers like a last meal
With no time left
Nine hours of slavery  

And I drive
A pastime so despised
Because you flick things in my eyes
Shout inside me, make me jump
Afraid that I might disappear
But my car will keep going
70 miles per hour
And my body will be in it

I try to run
You stretch out in my lungs
Make it impossible to breathe
Clutch my muscles like a vice

I am a glass trying not to tip over
A landmine attempting invisibility
I am a glass trying not to tip over
A landmine attempting invisibility

All evening long
I'm filled to the brim with your substance
I cannot get free

I thank God every morning for another day to live
But someday
I will thank Him
That I'm not exhausted anymore.