The little boy gazes into the mirror
Shocked to see a stranger does appear

Those could not be his eyes
Blackened, soulless, devoid of life
No the mirror lies

It has shriveled his skin
Left clothes draped over shoulders
Of a body withered and thin

The mirror, master of distortion
Has sucked the flesh colorless
A youthful blush no longer shown

The mirror, it is ruthless
Pushes bone to the surface
From knobby shoulders to tortured wrists

Mirror, where have you taken this poor boy
A nefarious trick
A shameful ploy

Of smoke and mirrors
Mirrors and smoke
It starts with the stoke

Of a flame
Hugging each inch
Of the aluminum frame

A cloud rises, the straw inhales
And with surging fury
The precious vapor sails

Hits the target
And the descent has started

Unable to hold the weight of your head
Drops forward
Mouths open
Eyes seein’ red
Time stops
Nothings said
Just feel the warmth
Hovering over the bed
Your flying
Gravity is suspended
The racing thoughts are upended

Think the mind has cleared
Really just
Vacant
Desolate
Empty
Can’t see
What’s soon to be

Dreams departed
Ambition thwarted
A family broken-hearted

Never thought it’d
Come to this s***
Just takes one hit
To find yourself at the bottom of the pit

But right now you don’t give a f***
So you chuck you potential in the trash
And blame it on bad luck

So you cheat
You steal
You lie
Again you lie
Try to deny
The worms in the can opened wide
You’re getting scared
Petrified
Stupefied
On the losing side
At the hands of selfish pride
You run and hide
Behind an ephemeral high
Kiss the ones you love goodbye
Until not a soul is by your side
But with worry they cry
And you show not even a sigh

No just the opposite
You sit and respond to it
By sucking every trace
From each precious hit

No problem here
The kids are alright
At least in those fleeting moments of flight
Now flying out of sight
Need more smack just to get right
Till the funds run light
And try as you might
You know the ride is over

Your buddy ain’t your friend no more
Not with no money to score
But you want more
You need more
You’re good for it you swore

What kind of fool do you take him for?
You’re just the horse’s w****
He knows you’d rob your own mother poor
But so what

Now you have a new mother
A better mother
Always comforts you when your thoughts stir
Never forgets to tuck you under the covers
No love amounts to hers

But her love is conditional
Untrue
Leave her side
And feel her vengeance upon you

The Jaw chatters
Body shivers
Beneath her arrows’ quivers
Her wrath sends rivers from you pores
The assaults come in hoards
Until you feel yourself upon death’s doors

In that moment the mind flashes
Flashes to that boy
The one he once knew
The one who
Smiled
Laughed
Loved
Had it all
The one with
Thoughts
Values
Dreams
Only to fall apart at the seams
At life’s final cliff
It seems
He clings
And in the crashing water below
Death rings
His grip loosens
Ready to give in
To the sea’s beckon

But he listens
An angel sings
And with her song brings
Hope
Love
Salvation
The strength to hold on

For four days
The angel stays
“Hang on” she says
Wipes away the sweat
The grimace from his face

With her love brings the strongest hope
Stronger than the grips of any dope
With it
It throws a rope
An so he clings to it
Scales the treacherous slope

Until he finds the pit’s end
Ready to start over again