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poem by

chato salisbury

Isolation

Sometimes people grow up
And they are forced to leave behind
The ones that they thought would be by their side
Till the end of time
Is friendship relative
What happens when life becomes real
When you learn that happiness
Is not something that you can steal
You won't find your life at the bottom of a bottle
You can't smoke your way in to love
There's no way to intravenously inject pure love
Temporary at best
What hurt yesterday
Hurts worse, no matter how hard you try to forget
Living a myspace life
Superficial plight
Pictures of people I call my friends
My children
Choices change
Going insane
And the thought that some pot might keep me sane
Is crazier than drinkin' gasoline
A moment's reprieve
Can cause a life of regret
But don't forget that there is always hope
Until you take your last breath
You can escape the fake
And suffer with the rest of us
We who have chosen to take the pain and strife
In strides and navigate this life
This ocean of uncertainty
Taking my licks as they come
Surrounding myself with people
So alone, I do not face this evil
Reaching out, asking for help
Too weak to be ashamed
And too strong to claim
— that I could make it on my own