The Greatest Affliction

Addictions, restrictions, afflictions, decisions, A needle, a bottle, step down hard on that throttle! Disaster, no more laughter, destruction for years after. Placate, eradicate, fornicate, masturbate, Addiction. Restriction. Addiction. No more art, no more heart, another false start. No more honoring love, Through God’s sacred benediction. Just destruction, restriction. Addiction. Give it a go, run that prop right over top of her Skipper! Hell yes! Sounds like fun! Our souls through a wood chipper! Addiction, a rather benign-sounding word, don’t ya think??Let’s call it what it is: Jack The Life Ripper! Slots! Cha CHING! Sex! Food! Anything! Addiction? NO WAY! I just like to play! Hypocrisy, a democracy run on BIG PHARMA, Don’t think about it! Sure! It’s all real! Here’s your script for a 1,000 more pills! Addiction. Prison. The System. What a waste. What a horrific affliction in this human race! Disgrace. Sadness. Do-overs don’t exist. Deception. Desperation. Annihilation. Another slit wrist. Artistic brilliance being pickled nightly in a skull. No more compassion, no more money, no more love. Losing it all. No more light in your eyes dear, Now they are black and so dull. Addiction. WHY?? Is getting through a human life really that tough? That we all have to medicate, With this poisonous stuff? Addiction. Don’t say you don’t know, you hypocrite you, We’ve all been there at some point, to something, it’s true. Don’t give me your ****. Don’t tell me you’re fine. Doesn’t matter who’s is worse, yours or mine. Addiction. I’m SICK of crazy land! I want off of this ride! No, you cannot have me, Mr. Jekyll and Hyde! I’m SO ANGRY I had to say goodbye to my friend the noble king, Way too early because of this Jack The Life Ripper thing! Addiction. As a mother, I’m simply scared out of my mind! How do I get my babies through a world so unkind? How do I keep them from running straight into it blind? They won’t listen, most of us never do. Premonition. Please! Not them! Not addiction! For three years I watched in agony my greatest love dissolve, Destroyed, I moved up here, to somehow get back my resolve, From the frying pan straight into the fire. This is not my sanctuary, this is another addict’s funeral pyre. Addiction. The human condition comes with such a design flaw, We should come with two bodies, not just one, The first to ride hard and wild, toss it out when we’re done. Then step effortlessly into the second, shiny, new and clean, And live the rest of it out, perfectly pristine. Unfortunately, we don’t, we get only this one. And when we go hard for a little too long, The damage is done. No going back, no saying “Oops! My bad!” Because now you are screwed, nothing more scary or sad. Addiction. © 2017 Elisa Fortise Christensen