Bottled emotions

emotions bottled up. Something about that phrase made me think. More than anything, I wanted to write this to explore the concept. what if we could drive away our negative emotions just by taking a swig of a potion to induce the feeling we wanted?

I write from my desk, with wobbling hands,

I haven't had a gulp in a very long time.

They say they've run out of happiness,

What do I do till I wait for a new batch?

I'd gone to them not more than an hour back,

Their board claiming they had every emotion.

I entered to see aisles full of labelled bottles,

'Reason, calm, honesty, determination, bravery'.

There was a woman with a bottle of Reason,

Taking a swig as tears ran down her face.

It seemed not enough as she burst out again,

Drinking and drinking but to no avail.

I wondered what her sorrow was as I looked,

As eventually she grew stoic, and left the place.

And the bottled emotion did its trick again,

With another unwanted emotion driven away.

Another man who was shaking with anger,

Hurriedly paid for a bottle of Calm.

And only to gulp it down at once, too much,

Then sat down right there in a silent trance.

Its funny how long it has been, so long,

Since we were helpless to feel like we did,

But no more of that, even that has a cure,

'Bottled Emotions' give you what you want.

I went up to the counter and asked the man,

If he had any happiness for my depressions.

A string of failures getting me where I was,

I wanted to make the sinking feeling go away.

But he said he was out of its stock,

As happiness was the fastest selling item.

He said people horde him for it, as seemingly,

They don't get any of it on their own now.

What was I to do now, in the meanwhile?

I haven't had to face sadness in so long.

Well I guess I just have to sit in the corner,

Tide over till my rescue comes in that bottle.