Thank you
but I think I shall abstain.
I am trying to cut down.
I am seeking some sort of relief.
I am hoping to be a better man.

I appreciate the offer
but I want to get clean.
I need to remove certain stains
from my life.
I have to improve.

It’s kind of you, really,
but it’s time for me to fix things
to escape old troubles
to extricate myself from complexity
and find the things that I love
and treasure them.
It is time for me to clarify
– if only for myself –
what I want
and what I want
is not that.

I do not want what you’re offering.
I cannot have it.
I refuse.
I will not
fine. One more donut.
Whatever.