A Warning Label for Life
Drowsy amid dawn,
I brush my teeth
and shower with city-issued
disinfection byproducts
that may cause cancer.
Abluted in the chromium-6,
lead, and other contaminants,
I call myself clean.
Soft scrambled eggs
go down my gullet
with their heavy metals,
toasted and buttered
carcinogens soon follow.
Water sends a vitamin alphabet
throughout my body
that can spell health or
liver damage, bone pain,
kidney failure, and
increased bleeding to fill
a tome or two.
Altogether the supplements
tell a tale about me, a man
who tries to stay well
in an unwell world.
Black and sugared
acrylamide gives the alertness
to appreciate my daily dosage
of flavorful poison.
Between bites and sips,
cable stations transmit
news about modern existence
that ancient tragedians would’ve
used for dire dramas.
Aware that many hours
in front of that device
and its myriad stations,
known for thundering adverts
promising entertainment
and information,
is mute about how
it can cause dementia,
depression, Parkinson’s disease,
and high blood pressure.
Restless as a rabbit,
I leap to leave
the sedentary time
and venture out,
welcoming the reality
beyond my door.
Breathing the pollutants
from cars and factories,
my life accepts
its slow decrepitude
as the world
rocket-bolts to ruination.
by Bob McNeil
Copyright 2025
~~~
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Cacti Fur 
A powerful, poignant piece depicting an ailing author trying to live his best life amidst an unforgiving world chock full of calamity, chaos and contempt.
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A vivid and beautiful poem that depicts how various physical things in the world can affect us physically and emotionally. But as we become aware of this we can protect ourselves from them and gain the mental strength and insight to continue to move on and persevere through each day and challenge.
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A vivid and beautiful poem that depicts how various physical things in the world can affect us physically and emotionally. But as we become aware of this we can protect ourselves from them and gain the mental strength and insight to continue to move on and persevere through each day and challenge.
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A vivid phy beautiful poem that depicts how may physicaly things in the world can affect us physically and motionally .However, e can finf the mental strength to move throught each day as we beome are of these things and learn to protect ourdelved from them
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