Beer Bottles and Pills

For all those people who are in foster care, feeling lost and alone. Inspired by my personal experience

Beer Bottles and Pills

I close my eyes and rewind back to a time

When strife sliced up my life with a serrated knife

Mother and father struggled to pay the bills

For our budget had gone towards beer bottles and pills

My brothers and sister, they couldn't do anything

But watch as our parents again risked everything

Wasting money by day and themselves at night

And yet still surprised to find that they always fight

Meanwhile, I just sat there on the filthy floor

Nice and warm, playing my Nintendo 64

Unaware of the scary scene that had formed

And that soon we wouldn't be in that house anymore

One day the bank came, to our parents' dismay

And with haste proceeded to take our house away

Which left us homeless and broke, trying to cope

Roaming the whole state from place to place with the hope

That we could get back up to our knees at least

And be able to afford more than fast food feasts

But still the family was left deathly ill

As our budget had gone towards beer bottles and pills

Meanwhile, I just sat there, without a damn clue

Just a six year old boy who was failing in school

For I had missed so many days and was refused

The ADHD meds I needed to pull through

My siblings, they eventually moved out

They wanted to take me, there was never a doubt

But they couldn't, and man, it brought them so much pain

For me to stay in that place with nothing to gain

But abuse in the shape of endless neglect

And a domestic mess deserving no respect

And the worst part was that my parents couldn't tell

They had made their son's abode a physical Hell

Meanwhile, I remained unaware, without fail

Wondering why Daddy had been locked up in jail

On the snowy night that Santa's sleigh set sail

To bring happiness to all of those kids who wail

Soon we arrived at the American Lodge

A hotel that, thankfully, didn't cost a whole lot

Where we stayed until that gloomy day when Fate

Rewrote the words he carved onto his stone slate

In a drunken rage, Dad struck Mom with the phone

That was the one mistake for which he couldn't atone

Then later, while he was in his prison cell

The police found some drugs my Mom had planned to sell

Meanwhile, I was confused and honestly scared

Tightly squeezing my favorite stuffed polar bear

When my Mom gently ran her hand through my hair

And told me, "The police have to take me somewhere."

The following year brought a torrent of tears

Though the parts near the beginning aren't all that clear

I went to live with my brothers for a while

And then was forced to leave them and their soothing smiles

I was left in a stranger's place, so afraid

She was a scary lady who never refrained

From shouting every time I messed something up

And left me just longing to feel like I was loved

Meanwhile, I curled up on that alien bed

Sometimes wanting to cry until my eyes turned red

Praying daily that this madness my life bred

Would soon end along with this emotive bloodshed

And then after four months of pleas unanswered

I received a bright sign that things would get better

In the form of a caring, married couple

Who were looking to save a small child from struggle

The moment I moved in, I felt loved again

Sobs no longer smothered every tired breath

And I still remember the day I was told

"Son, welcome to your brand new home!"

Now a decade's passed and I've since then moved on

Still I thank God everyday at the dawn of dawn

I've changed so much more than you could ever know

And I've promised myself that I'll never cease to grow

The boy who once received grades that were so low

Is now a college student on an honor roll

With a love for puns, family, friends and life

And he will be that way until the day he dies

Dedicated, with much love, to those who are/have been in foster care for any reason.

This is probably the most personal piece I'm ever going to write

Author's Note

Alright, this is that last piece I was talking about trying to finish before I went back to college. Clearly, that didn't happen, but I've finally gotten it done, and am ready to present it to you all! This took me days to write, and I'm certain I could've done much better with this piece, but time is currently limited for me, and I wanted...no...NEEDED to get this piece complete, otherwise I knew I wouldn't have come back to it. The events described in this piece are my own experiences in foster care, which I was in a little over ten years ago because my birth parents were addicted to alcohol and drugs, and weren't taking care of me like they should have. For the first time, I legitimately counted EVERY syllable in order to nail my flow (which, for this particular piece, is an eleven and twelve syllable flow). As per usual, all feedback is acceptable. Even if you want to tell me that this piece is horrible, feel free to do so (so long as it's in a constructive manner, that is). I don't know when I'm going to write anything again, so I guess I'll just end with a see you next time!! :)

Reviews

[Moon]

Wow this was so sad yet beautiful! I could see you as a 6 year old so clearly. I just wanted to reach out and hold you! Also, I'm no expert at writing but I thought it was well written and the flow was good. Thank you for sharing this and your life with us!

[DoormanDan]

And thank you for reading and giving this such praise. I really do appreciate it! :)

[Alex Doerner]

I liked this a lot. My parents take in younger kids and we've adopted three, and this is a really emotionally packed piece. I'm so glad you found a good family and you were able to find stability. I liked the parallels, like comparing your old grades to your new ones. Definitely a good read.

[DoormanDan]

I thank your parents for being that generous towards children in need. Thank you so much for your kind words, and I am so happy to hear that you like reading this piece. :)

[Shae-Leigh Johns]

this piece is amazing like no words for how good it is and I can relate I love it it's just perfect.

[DoormanDan]

I'm flattered by such high praise. Thank you so much for reading! :)

[Shae-Leigh Johns]

of course :)

[Lovecraft]

It is somewhat amazing. The excellent use of words captured a very bitter image of Life. A very sad and screwed up situation you have conjured from experience.

Beautifully melancholic...

Very nice job, Dan. I'm sorry you had to go through s**t like this, I can't quite imagine what it must have been like.

[DoormanDan]

Thank you so much for the review and kind words. All things considered, I was never really that bothered by the things I went through. I can't really describe it, but it was just like my mind, when it was finally mature enough to comprehend the seriousness of the situation it was in, was just like "Oh, well, that's all in the past now. Who cares?"

[Giulia King]

This is so good, Dan! Amazing flow, created a vivid image that broke my heart. I hate that this happens to people today. Brilliant, moving piece! Never stop writing.

[DoormanDan]

Yeah, I hate that this stuff happens to people as well. But there's nothing we can really do, except try to help those people through those things. I don't intend on ceasing to write. Thanks for the review. :)

[Tbear]

Sobs no longer smothered every tired breath

Made my heart ache and am so glad that you came out of the experience stong and loved..

Well done you... write on..

[DoormanDan]

Thank you so much for the review. I really appreciate it. :)

[FIN]

This is brilliant. Dan. Very touching and I could feel the amount of attention you paid to the detail in this poem.

It felt natural; smooth flow and rhyme, as if you were telling a story, yet in a poetic way, which you were; and did! Wonderfully. From beginning to end. A very thoughtful piece that I'm glad I read... well done, Dan.

This was beautiful. In a heart-wrenching and then positive manner.

Much love,

LR

[DoormanDan]

Yeah, I was really trying my best to nail the flow and rhyme scheme on this piece. I didn't want anything to seem forced, hence why this took so long to write. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you appreciate the story here. So far, I've been really happy with the reception this piece has gotten. Thanks for reading. :)

[Zoya]

Honestly, this is the most emotional poem that I've read on writerscafe so far. You have portrayed your life, from the very beginning upto this day, in a very sensational manner. The readers can "feel" your story. It would be a real shame, for me, to criticize this piece for some reason. All the best for your life ahead!

[DoormanDan]

Hey, there's never any shame in offering one's opinion on a piece if they think something could make it better! Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you could "feel" my story, as I was really unsure of if I could pull that off or not. Thanks for reviewing. :)

[Zoya]

Haha ;-p...I meant this poem is too good to be true, for me of course, don't know about others. I cannot criticize anything here. And yeah, I always share my opinion if I think it would make the piece better. Anyway, I loved the poem and keep writing :)

[DoormanDan]

Thanks, I will. :)

[Valentine]

Dan, I am so proud of you for opening up your heart to us. I pray things stay better for the rest of your life. Stick in school, graduate and make something of yourself. You have seen that the bottle and pills only bring pain. I wish others could read this write and be better parents. God bless kiddo. Valentine

[DoormanDan]

Thank you so much. I reconciled what happened to me many years ago, so writing this piece honestly wasn't too difficult for me. I just felt like writing it. I definitely plan on sticking to school and making something of myself, and I also never plan on taking drugs (other than ADHD meds I have to take) or touching even a single drop of alcohol. Root Beer is the closest I'm getting to that stuff!! Thanks for reading. :)