For Two or More Grams

Splinters in a doorway

A girl lying face down

Injection holes in her arm

In a seedy part of town

Her eyes they longingly stare

As the liquid takes control

Another victim who for two or more grams

Would willingly sell thier soul

 

Splinters in the cafe

Where her hands begin to shake

Marks bruises and alcohol

And a chain she just can't break

She's on a downward spiral

As each day takes its toll

This girl who for two or more grams

Would willingly sell her soul

 

Splinters in the bathroom

Where she's passed out on the floor

"Thank God they found her just in time

She'd done this once before"

The bottle and the tablets

Used to fill a hole

This teenager who for two or more grams

Would willingly sell her soul

 

Splinters in the hospital ward

As peacefully she sleeps

A vigil by her bedside

Her Mother constantly keeps

And her tears fall freely

As her darkest fears they grow

Her Daughter who for two or more grams

Would willingly sell her soul

 

Splinters in the school hall

Where words they are so few

As news of her passing

Begins to filter through

 

Lisa spoke of her battle

When asked to begin

A battle she fought so bravely

But a battle she couldn't win

Kelly spoke of her best friend

And that she was too young to die

And how when she was clean she was brilliant

And a nightmare when she was high

 

Kirsty spoke of her desperation

As Leah shared her pain

Mrs Williams spoke of counseling

And that her death mustn't be in vain

But when Mr Jackson spoke

He spoke for the school as a whole

Our classmate who for two or more grams

Would willingly sell her soul

 

Splinters at a graveside

As they laid her to rest

Marie she spoke so well of her

"She was one of the best

And I hate heroin for taking her

More than you would ever know

My sister who for two or more grams

Willingly sold her soul" 

 

  

Reviews

[justjenn_2u]

Immaculate!!! She's an addict who didn't make it across the threshold. I have been that girl on the floor, I have been that girl who sold my soul for the drug. I can appreciate your words here as they express the hurt that drug abuse does to others who love us and the pain the addict feels. It's a viscious cycle of pain and so many never make it out. Well, the scars of addiction always remain as the drug euphoria becomes etched in an addicts skin. I have great respect for you as you write about the "dirty" little secrets no one wants to really hear about. It's as if some thing - "Oh, brush it under the rug. It will all go away. Little Susie is in a better place now." No, it's time more people become emphathetic to how drugs are killing some very special people off. Sometimes an addict only needs a strong and reassuring hand. Sometimes it's just that little spark of love an addict needs to feel. It never hurts to reach out to the hurting and that's exactly what this poem does. It's a poem of awareness and a poem of empathy. Much respect and kudos to you. You rock.

[Cat O'nine]

I like the forshadowing that comes from the tone, in that it remains lyrical like a Greek narrative to a morality play. It is well modernized here, seemlessly so, but the feeling of impending, unavoidable doom was almost whimsical. while there is a surface sense of regret, I felt it more of a tale of exhaustion and acceptance by the observer. the names were an anchoring point to the reality of the situation, a stitch here and there that kept the peice from coming across as detached.

[Kena Dawn Augustine]

Excellent. Very intense, and sad, hits you like a ton of bricks. But it is sad, what drugs will do to a person. And how addicted they are, they are even willing to sell their soul. Very raw, thanks for letting us see the harsh reality in a poetic fashion.