The Flounderer (the vocal version)

http://youtu.be/6izD2ADYO7w

She gasped over 

smokers, drinkers, or eaters

unconcerned about the fats and Es, 

those with emotions,

sealed inside. The festerers.



She'd yell at them to stop it!

Felt better for it...

Bellowed, 'Swallow green!' whatever

the latest life extending fad -

she wanted to follow it - for her -

for them...

Quit festering, 

she said. Eat slow. Fast.



Sad, she supped with the best of them -

reminisced herself to sleep on evening cheer -

beat up, as she was, on regrets, or else

she'd sweat it out and cry till dawn -

alcoholic, bulimic, anorexic, glutton

for punishment, and hopelessly romantic.

Mended / broken. Well



meaning - ate good, tried kind, slept sound,

hoping something might come of the effort,

prayed 



while Ernie, 80, could barely draw a breath

for fags and sucked his days; their pay away 

on cheapest grog. Mean mouthed

taker, hater, beater, swearer...

Nourished on nothing but polluted air,



he refused to stop breathing, even though

the world about him longed 

to bid his selfish soul bye bye! And She was 

never going to die, was she?