In general, words with x’s bother me.
Xanax, anxiolytics, Cinemax…
I’m not confident that they express what’s behind them consistently enough
to be truly meaningful in conversation.

For me, coffee and fruit always sound good in the morning.
A solid routine for a mother trying to mask an eating disorder
that has been around since it became obvious
that if one makes a mistake, it can be corrected most of the time.
So, no need for pills here.

Last week, I had a discussion with someone about benzodiazepines
while standing in the school parking lot.
It is my professional opinion that you can get arrested for driving under the influence,
even if you aren’t actually driving.
It’s codified.
But a little action would make the drop-off line a lot more interesting.
So my personal advice would be different,
had I been asked to elaborate on the subject.

Which brings me to owls…

Owls are wise creatures
when discussing lollipops,
and how licking can get people places they want to go,
especially if they like being at the center of everything.

But otherwise,
owls can’t be trusted to deliver sound advice.

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Karian Markos is a nonprofit attorney and writer from the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. She donates much of her professional time to charitable organizations that work with children. Her work has been published in Beyond Words Literary Magazine.