Riding Shotgun

The addict rests in the darkness 
Comfortable in his skin
Knowing
Does not doubt his actions
Moves forward swiftly
Alone
Bottle and stash by his side
Chaos as his neighbour
Top down 
Cruising

Upon awakening its us
Who needs to pick 
ourselves up
wonder
where we have been 
Where's the money I had
Who's that lying in my bed
With shame as our witness 

Our mouths stinking of cigarettes
Our clothes stained from whatever
it was that happened last night 

Or maybe we never left 
the house at all 
awaking once again to the 
pain in our heads 
the pain in our hearts 

And in that moment we choose
Us or addict
Who will rule that day

Alone, alone she wants us
To terrify us with her stories
To playback the defeats and indiscretions 
setting her trap

Coming together in all ways
Whether it is in this room or the next 
Saying what there is to say
Opening our ears
Opening our hearts
Lessens his grip

Today I rise after stumbling 
and scraping my knees
From there I thanked God for 
my opportunity to rise
From there I shift the focus 
from my torment to my opportunity 
From my pain to my gratitude 

I place one foot in front of the other
Open my heart to healing 
Giving God the wheel 

Gordon Martin Feb 4, 2017
Copyright © | Year Posted 2017


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