Temperance by Habit

At first the lukewarmness comforts,
well-being seduces us.
We skimp on caution within trust,
cheap peace...
lulls us to sleep.
Comfort keeps shifting,
just as a drip administered in doses
also comes to be tolerated.
More and more still, more and more passive
so as not to disturb our habits,
until sadness demands its payment:
it clouds our sight,
hypnotizes the psyche
and packs our heart away.

We take out an emotional loan,
the installments of malaise

keep rising
until the interest swallows us
and the balance of the debt...
is cold marble.