Over the counter
I never liked them anyways
And THEY ALWAYS came with a safety cap
for something that’s not now very safe
The bottle always asserted its authority
just two
wait this long if you really want more
Treated me like a child
even though it said “extra strength”
I am not pregnant
that’s hard for a man
particularly in their sixties
but what’s not good for a goose
is maybe even worse for a gander.
I live with pain
constantly
Bad neighbors
Bad news
and so —
pretty bad headaches…
I can easily explore better options
no warnings on dosages
I well know
what works well
and even
if I have
a brutal headache the next morning
and mess up the car driving
At least I had me some fun.
— zumwalt (2025)
zumpoems 
Comments on: "Over the counter" (2)
There’s a lot of truth here! I understand your living with pain well.
I have broken my back twice and sadly became addicted to prescription painkillers, Tramadol, Gabapentinb and oramorph. I had to go cold turkey to get off them but I one.
Pills are a pain ! 🍂🍁🍂🍁💜
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I know how brave you are as been following your journey, and so glad you have found poetry as a tool.in your toolkit of dealing with pain.
I think in terms of this poem we are not hearing the voice of the poet but his invented personna. This topic seems to relate to the recent false claims here across the pond about Tylenol, which still is best avoided unless absolutely necessary.
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