Dear Addiction,
You have been a shadow in my bones,
a whisper in the quiet,
a fire in my veins that promised warmth
but only left me hollow.
You came to me in many forms
alcohol, heroin, cocaine, meth, pills, smoke, needles
names I know too well,
faces I have stared at in the mirror,
ghosts I have cradled like children
while they quietly strangled me.
You are cunning.
You dress yourself in comfort,
in courage,
in brilliance.
You promise peace.
You promise escape.
And I believed you, time and time again.
But I see you now.
I see the nights burned to ash,
the hearts I have broken,
the self I have abandoned.
You are not friend.
You are not teacher.
You are a mirror of every weakness,
an amplifier of every wound,
a shadow that dances on the walls
while the fire consumes the room.
I will not lie I have loved you.
I have leaned into you when life was unbearable,
and you held me like a lover
only to cut me loose when I trusted too much.
I will not forgive you for that,
and I will not plead with you anymore.
Today, I name you.
I face you.
I walk through the fire you create,
step by step, breath by breath.
You will not define me.
You will not write my story.
You are a part of my history,
but you are not my future.
I am not my addictions,
but I am their witness.
I am not my failures,
but I am their heir.
I do not extend my hand to you,
and I do not shrink from you.
I meet you in the middle of my own strength,
and I move forward,
through the ashes,
through the fire,
into the life you cannot touch.
This is my letter, Addiction.
I do not ask for your blessing.
I do not need your permission.
I am done hiding.
I am done excusing.
I am rising.
SimplyMe
Iād love to hear yours if you care to share?