Abstinence

"Abstain !" they screamed,
And I did.
I did not drink.
My thirst clawed away my throat,
But I kept them happy.

I abstained from reading the old words,
And used my heart to write new lines...
And this time,
They were gone !
My lines never were read.

Then I abstained from talking at all,
And they came back
With their serene smiles
And sharp knives,
Asking me why I was silent.

So I broke the calm silence,
And laughed a dry laugh.
Never had they asked me
To abstain from laughter;
Yet they begged me to stop !

"Abstain !" they had hollered,
A long time ago.
They did the same again.
Only this time I turned away my face,
And did not abstain anymore.