Addiction, by April Gardner
"Addiction," poem by April Gardner
by April Gardner, LCSW, CADC
Let my past define me.
I cannot
Overcome.
I will
Third Place Practitioner
Cry out!
You say things about me --
Hurt me sometimes.
Your words
Stick to me.
Labels will never
Stop blaming me.
what is “normal” to you.
I will never be
Whole, healthy, full of love.
I am
An addict.
Be silent.
We cannot
Rise up.
Politicians sit on idle hands.
As epidemic sweeps through
A nation of hurting people.
They don’t believe in it –
Hope.
On the other hand, there is
A death sentence on every prescription pad.
Doctors lie --
My friends have died.
A crusted spoon
A cloudy needle
I don’t need heroin,
Grandma’s pills beckon from the cabinet.
The temptation.
I don’t have
A way to fight.
What’s that word? --
Recovery
Dare the hand of the Moirai
While insurance companies decide if I live or die.
I stand in a broken line
Waiting to take a number,
Twelve Steps to freedom.
(Now read from bottom to top.)
April Gardner graduated with her B.A. and MSW degrees from Loyola University Chicago and currently serves in the United States Peace Corps.