The Survivors
It is said
That the best time
To put on a roof
Is when the sun is shining
I agree
I go to 12-Step Meetings
Every week
Here in prison
Noah and I
Meet every night at 9pm
Not just for him
For me, too
It is what we do
We do this
When times are good
So that it is established
Where we go
When they get bad
We do this
To create a healthy routine
Support
Strength
Trust
Unity
The foundation needed
To build the house
To begin with
Strong enough
To withstand
The storms of life
I turned 48 years old March 28, 2020
Doctors say
Although we continue to age
The addict
Stops maturing
Mentally and emotionally
The moment
They start using
I have been
Clean
Since November 29, 2016
I started at the age of 10
Using this theory
I am 13 1/2 years old
What 13-year-old do you know
Fully independent
Self-sufficient?
What 13-year-old
Does not need
The support of others?
Need the examples to follow
Need the love
The ability to fall
To be caught
Picked back up
Told
Its going to be okay
Is it expected
That in learning
Mistakes are going to be made
The process itself
Requires there to be others
There to teach us
If you want (((I would stay with the house metaphor and not mix it up with sports)))
To learn how
To play basketball
You don’t ask
A hockey player
I have the disease
Of addiction
Some differ here
Present argument
Debate
Morals
Choices
I say
Who cares what I call it
The fact
I am calling it something
Acknowledges my awareness
Of the problem
Starts my process
I may not
See myself to blame
For a disease
But
I am definitely responsible
For the treatment of it
Cancer
Diabetic
Athlete
Headache
Alcoholic
Chemo
Insulin
Physical therapy
Tylenol
Recovery
If a house is on fire
You do not have to know
Where the fire started
You just need to get out
A group of people
Will come along
Having dealt with many fires
Knowing their way through them
Use their experience
To help you
Evacuation procedures
Exit strategies
Always
Seem to come
After
The ability
To identify
That a problem exists
The fact
There is a spark
Which can be ignited
That has the potential
To burst into flames
And burn your whole house down
This knowing
However it is arrived at
Brings attention
To the need of prevention
Prevention
The accumulation and measure
Of previous experiences
Similar situations
Proven to prevent
An undesired outcome
I am an
Addict
My home
Burnt to the ground
Fires never seem to start
In the place
Where my attention
Is fixed
If they did
I would quickly
Stomp them out
I need help
Knowing where to look
The actions to take
Where better to get that help
Than from the survivors
Those who have the spark, too
Have been engulfed by the flame
Now successful
In their prevention
We know
Carrying all of the bricks needed
For the foundation
Of the new house
After the fire
Is too much for any one person
So we come
We offer our help
We build it together
That is our
Program
And that
Is what we bring
To Noah (((add: and to each other??)
I’m Coming Home | Noah Bergland
To my Greyson, My Promise to you | Morgan Molitor
