not a lot, anymore

we're standing in the staff courtyard
it's break time
and we're doing coffee and a cigarette
when he says to me

I've always worked in psych
I love it

I've never been tempted
by anything else

it's changed though
from the old days
oh
a hell of a lot really

a deep drag
the blue smoke of a moment of reflection
a sip out of the styofoam cup
and he adds

you know what

about a year ago
we had a real old fashioned case come in
like we used to get
in the old days

no drugs
no family history
no obvious causes
just crazy

mad as a cut snake actually

it was a first presentation
and it took a while
but we fixed him up
he got better and we turned him loose
he hasn't been back

that's what I like best
good straight-forward madness
that you can do something with

but you don't see much of that
anymore

time to get back to work

~