In the arcades and the alleyways

the fugitive take furtive drags;

what was the craze is now a malaise

and red crosses upon the white flags

bespeak a nationwide neurosis,

a corrosive obsession with health

in thrall to the No Smoking notice:

not at all at ease with itself.

 

They reel 'em in with Ritalin,

Big Pharma pockets the profit.

The Viagra and the Vitamin;

they ought to be told to come off it.

Increasing dependency doses,

the playground exchange of bright sweets;

damned by a dual diagnosis,

the endless prescription repeats.

 

A bullet-proof vest to manage stress

is obligatory in these quarters.

It's the weight you can't get off your chest

when there's statins in the waters.

Before the final curtain closes

you'll need permission to depart;

in the theatre emergency poses

are struck at an unwilling heart.

 

The geeks and loners dream revenge

on those who disrespect them.

They don't say much and have few friends;

they're on the autistic spectrum!

Diagnosing human weakness

in your analgesic Eden:

is all suffering a sickness

and susceptible to treatment?