Devil in the Deadlines

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This deadline is harassing me, saying
You’re never going to make it
And then I don’t
Good intentions moved out before I could
Left me with rent unpaid and the lights turned off
I look in my pocket instead of at the deadline
I have a dollar left



I could use it to buy Ramen noodles
As many as it will get me, it’s just that
For one moment I want to be those other people
Who always meet their deadlines
Who always have a dollar in their pocket

Angelic light calls from the snack machine
A demon’s voice whispers that I can be like them
If just for a moment, so I push the buttons they do
I take Persphone’s snack cake back to my lair
Consume the guilt from the plastic wrapper
Consign myself to more time in Hades’ presence
And look to the next deadline.

 by Margaret Hicks

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