1.
One human body suffering
Two amphetamines to wake up
Three am alarm clock
Four am shower
Five o clock the bus leaves
Six days before the weekend
Seven hours before I can leave
Eight dollar lunch
Nine minutes to wait for it to start
Ten minutes before it’s over
Nine times I asked what bus is this
Eight buses at the station
Seven trains at the station
Six ways it can go
Five minutes before my bus leaves
Four minutes stuck in traffic
Three minute walk home
Two benzos to sleep
One human body suffering
2.
His bones are on
Fire
Take heed
To my words
I say
His bones are on
Fire
Ashtray knees,
Fortify his ground
And when that isn’t enough,
He calls in his superiors:
Expired orange juice, cheap cigarettes, drug overdoses,
loud neighbors, dusty water, and abscessed teeth
These things,
Made a man out of him
And killed his boy,
In the process
Rami Obeid is a poet from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Serotonin 