Alex Wilkerson
The Choice
Today I had THE CHOICE
I woke up again,
With the bad thoughts.
The same ones I’ve been having forever
But I made the choice
My therapist said
“Picture a stop sign.”
It works.
STOP
And I made THE CHOICE
The same one you have
The same one we all have
I decided
Today is going to be just fine
I made the choice.
Today I had THE CHOICE
I woke up again,
With the bad thoughts.
The same ones I’ve been having forever
But I made the choice
My therapist said
“Picture a stop sign.”
It works.
STOP
And I made THE CHOICE
The same one you have
The same one we all have
I decided
Today is going to be just fine
I made the choice.

Alex Wilkerson, Birmingham Poetry Review, Vol. 16, Issue 3.