She was light 

not just in ounces and pounds 

but in the way she moved 

 

You know what I mean

a person who can elevate the mood

of a room

with a word

or smile 

 

The pills made her heavy 

not just in the numbers 

of sizes and scales

but in the way she became still 

 

The deluge of tablets and capsules

knocked her down 

off her stage 

onto her knees 

 

left her weeping

begging anyone who would listen

to make her light again 

to dry her face

 

soaking from the water 

from her eyes and from the flood

now unable to be without 

her daily dose 

 

dependency holds her hand 

a parent who is afraid

to let the child be free 

Worried she will float away