at what point
did it stop becoming medicine?
when did you start to notice
the way it dissolved on your tongue
the way it was dry
just like your mouth
from baring yourself to the bone.
the way you felt it stick to your taste buds
how it was rough yet smooth at the same time.
you ducked your head under the sink,
and turned it on.
the damp tap water
greeted your mouth
and when you turned it off,
you wiped your cracked lips
with the back of your hands.
when did it become
the haze,
the fall,
the pass out.
the exaggerated headache
to take as many as you could.
when did you start taking them by yourself,
without looking at what they were
and how many there were.
at what point
did it stop being medicine
and it became a cry for help
that no one ever heard.
