COMPULSION
Ten men stood by the water
The first man took a rope and hung himself
Nine men stood by the water
The second man drowned himself in a bathtub
Eight men stood by the water
The third man took a gun and shot himself
Seven men stood by the water
The fourth man slit his wrists with a knife
Six men stood by the water
The fifth man jumped from a tall building
Five men stood by the water
The sixth man swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills
Four men stood by the water
The seventh man electrocuted himself
Three men stood by the water
The eighth man burned himself with gasoline
Two men stood by the water
The ninth man drove his car off a cliff
I stood by the water
The one I loved was gone and my heart was broken
No men stood by the water
The current swept us away
© 1990 M. Patrick Ebright