The Small Print

Side effects of the medicine:
vertigo, itchy skin, thoughts of suicide,
the cure is worse than the disease

have to decide if the results are worth the risks
some call it white noise... more information
than our brain can process so you stop reading it.

Trust the doctor and go with the flow
but if you find yourself losing your balance
or your skin starts to itch, stay away from knives

and ropes hanging from the ceiling.
Call your doctor and wait patiently by the phone
don’t stop taking your prescription unless notified.

Your home is in foreclosure, your credit past due
you failed to read the small print on the contract
that explained you really can’t  afford the home

and after remodeling it will be taken from you.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse for not reading 
and asking a question or two.

I can remember when I was a child
my parents were so nervous when they signed their name
barely literate, they knew they could be victims of fraud

if they were not able to make sense of a contract,
getting a loan to buy a car, a refrigerator, a home,
but honesty prevailed in those times

and all their contracts worked out fine.
Today there is a blind acceptance
that someone out there will take care of us

after this experience be more cautious,
skeptical and distrustful learning to read the fine print
before accepting any contract with a stranger.