It was clear to me that I’d hit a fork in the road
staring down at this naked rear end facing me
from the downward dog position
on my mattress in my filthy skid row apartment.
I was cognizant of the chance (at least in my mind)
to get back
at her husband and my ex girlfriend.
but my pettiness and spite
were not strong enough to mask
the odor repeatedly hitting my olfactory glands.
There’d be no washing this away
and there was no telling
what new lows awaited me
if I went through with it.
This was one of those moments of truth
where I would forever be defined
by my ensuing actions.
There would be no going back
if I decided to plunge
even further into the muddy ditch
that was becoming my life.
~Edward Austin Robertson
Nuclear Polio Vaccination 