Restless, irritable, and discontent AKA uneasy, annoyed, never satisfied ~ Jennifer R. R.

The Doctor’s Opinion in the Big Book
gave us a now-familiar phrase,
“To them, their alcoholic life
seems the only normal one.
They are restless, irritable and discontented,
unless they can again experience
the sense of ease and comfort
which comes at once by taking a few drinks—”
A descriptive term, useful
in seeing our past behavior,
in picking out another as we once were.
But not language that rings true
when the old desires attempt
to wriggle back in. A translation
less archaic, closer to vernacular,
approaching the starkness of P-Oed,
can nab my attention.
When I find myself uneasy, annoyed,
and never satisfied, it’s time…and past…
to get to meetings, call my sponsor,
seek out program people,
and claim serenity!