Choose Life - Original Poetry

I know you`ve made up your mind
and that you're all set to leave,
but honey, please, don't do it,
hear me out before you go.

No more crosses to bear,
no more secrets or lies.
No games of hide and seek,
no farewell or goodbyes.

It`s time to share!
Lay everything out,
time to let the truth be told,
no matter how ugly or cold it gets.

Remember, there`s always a way
to come out from this torturous maze,
your will can dissipate the fog
and the story will unfold on its own.

Don't get a tattoo to burn the day,
don't fly away to escape the pain,
don't run fast, life ain't a marathon;
hold on to the knife, before it cuts deep.

I know it hurts - I feel your pain,
not long time ago I`ve felt the same.
One full moon I was tripping on cocaine
-nice lil' meth to keep me entertained.

A cocktail that sent me straight to hell.
You won`t believe the things I have seen,
far beyond anyone's wildest dreams,
you know, it snowed inside my brain.

That damn powder made me be insane,
turned me from dead to worse,
the lowest I have ever been,
a rat, a scum, a worthless rag.

I've lost my head, my kid, my job,
all that I had, gone with the wind.
I've lost it all for a quick snort'n'roll
I've turned from king to scab. No Amen!

I've traded flesh for shelter
and needle shots under a bridge,
waiting to climb up to heaven
and escape my life`s ugly, sad truth.

Up there, next to angels, I sat
and dreamt of Sunday mornings,
of crispy poppy bagels with cream cheese,
of days I`d love to spend with you.

Give me your hand and drop that blade,
believe me, this memory will fade,
everything will slowly get erased;
till then, here's a trick to keep your cool:

Whenever you'll feel your fire's heat,
don't fear or run; grab a spike or a stick,
sweeten your hell with some s`mores,
cook them well and savour their cathartic taste.

They won't get you seated at God`s Table
nor reveal the sacred truth about the Grail!
They're only good to break the habit,
send you straight back to the ground.

It will hurt and ache a lot, I tell you,
all your body'll scream in pain
but that bitter sweet agony won't kill you,
it will teach you how to cool down your thirst.

Now, light your matches, launch the fire,
let this mad world burn down tonight,
stretch your arm and seal the promise;
your eyes mirror the flames so bright.

Feed your demons to this bonfire,
watch them get engulfed by flames,
see them smolder and turn to ashes,
one by one, setting your mind free.

This poem was inspired by a real love story between two drug addicts, a story with a happy ending. This romance between a recovering addict and the suicidal girl he had fallen for, haunted me for a while.

Whenever I tried to translate it into a poem, I was not happy with the result. Today I gave it a new try and here it is. I hope you enjoyed reading it.

When people we know turn into strangers due to drug use, it is hard to understand their struggles. We tend to see addiction through a distorted lens, that translates a cry for help into an offence or a crime.

When their lives spiral out of control, it is hard to accept their reality, their struggle because it scares us. It shows us the ugly face of all of those things we fear.

Thus we label them and don't believe that they can change instead of showing them kindness and accepting them as a person. We can't seem to separate the person from the behaviour and that`s where we fail to show that we care about them, that they are still worth.

Drop me a line in the comments section below if you like what you read!

Lavi Picu is the author of three soulful poetry collections: Whiteless Thoughts, Burden of love and Tales of a moody heart. She is a Canadian writer, majored in Linguistics, with a background in translations and writing. She’s also a ghost writer, a blogger with a focus on arts and health, a Lyme disease advocate, a mother and a self-taught artist.