Benzo Request by Rod McDonald

My daughter asked:
“Can I have a Clonazapam, dad?”
“You bet.”
Why argue with a stage 4 sarcoma?
It could take a week to become dependant.
Why worry?
Waiting for death
Pumps her anxiety
And mine.
She swallows the pink pill,
Hoping she will not vomit.
I take one too
To provide company,
And wait for its silent click
In both her and my mind.
For some reason,
Her click is much louder,
And she breathes
Into a sick sleep,
Thanking me
With a squeeze of her porcelain hand.

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Mad in America hosts blogs by a diverse group of writers. These posts are designed to serve as a public forum for a discussion—broadly speaking—of psychiatry and its treatments. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own.

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