Six

The pills are there,
just behind that cabinet door,
on the third shelf…
Just behind a bottle of fish oil and
another of St. John’s Wort.

Anti-anxiety,
that’s what the doctor said they were for.
A warning:
too many at once or mixed with alcohol
they can kill;
they depress breathing.

How many would it take?
How many to make the pain and fear subside?
Three? Seven?
There are 43 in the bottle.
Surely 43 would be more than enough.

But how many would be just enough,
just enough to ease the pain and fear
for only a short while?
How many to calm the fear
without calming it forever?

Six. Six should do the trick.