Release

The society is addicted

to this, that, the other.

To pretend I am exempt

is a flame I cannot smother.

Laying phones and approval in lines

trying not to shake in withdrawal

if I can't snort them like cocaine

consuming my life until I crawl.

I beg for distractions,

just a little more, a release,

itching to get my proper fill

of all that dopamine.

Maybe I don't need drugs

to keep me upright or make me whole,

but I use blue lights to block out the world

or not remind me of it at all.

I fill the cracks with sentiment

secure my ears with white noise,

the buds blast away connection,

make distant everything I avoid.

My fear of boredom overrules

every reason I could be wrong,

even reasons like pausing to smell

the flowers or appreciate birdsong.

We silly humans forget sometimes

what makes a good thing good,

wanting less makes you happier

than wanting more than you should.

The world is heavy, it screams scarcity

when sipping from a half-empty cup,

abundance floods in when stillness whispers,

we're already half-filled up.

I may release the kite one day,

though I was taught to hang on,

to see just how far I may fly

a flash of colour then, I'll be gone.

I'll cycle through, I'll fail, I'll fall,

do it over and over again,

release the addictions, forget it all,

piece together and form who I am.

And tomorrow,

start it all again...

...

*Author's note: This poem is inspired by Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke. I highly recommend this read if you want to peek into the neuroscience of always being 'plugged in'. It also contains valuable information to understand addiction in general.