these days
somehow
life has become reduced to
track marks
drawing everything but blood
which veins left untouched
without slipping too far
beneath the skin
existing entirely to taunt
always first pull the stopper up
start with the veins that can be felt
work around the blown out bruising
dehydration may hinder any sure fire sign
that the needle marks the spot
push on ahead if yet brave enough
a pinch and a burn
stop if it hurts
do not dare to waste the lot
a little pain
some pressure
sharp burning sensation
part of the package
when mixing dirty shots
becoming of mere necessity
as the day count continues to draw out
as long as the vein is not missed entirely
embrace all the facets of fallout
please by all means continue
to punish the same swollen
rolled collapsed veins
that were never successful even the previous day
God forbid discontinue self-mutilation
disguised as torture porn
a new fangled and groundbreaking unit of measure
cubic centimeters
fill the needle up just barely enough
space for the stopper
the sweet taste of deaths elusive breath stinging the back of all our tongues
something so sinisterly daunting
about ripping away every shallow half hearted last breath
violently right out of the grim reapers cold permanent uninviting
still ironclad skeletal hands
push your heart to its limit my darling
just to know quite exactly the hard limits
of your own dark demented twisted recanted misery
tip over the edge just to prove you will always make it back
take meticulous purposeful painstaking design
in a homestead residing in the choppy waves of discontent
anxiety inducing
petrified spiraling
monsters conjured up entirely
arising out of the deep recesses of the mind
to justify the hot high speed chasing the dragon
slipping silently through the whisper white storm clouds
masquerading his flight path from view
to anyone tracing the heavens above
a tedious and petulant tight increment away from
the enthusiast gaggle violently scrounging the path
for even the most minute indicator
that this foray down the forboden blocked off abandoned road
is really a journey of the trailblazing kind
off kilter and a bit off putting
but the mystical end in sight
in support of the ever elusive
written off as folklore
tall impetuous ignorant tales of the black lagoon
in an ill-conceived attempt at sickly fantastical indulgence
of the comforting laying down of arms
allowing final rest for treachery
silencing any panic driven frenzied unabashed call to action
holding desperately instead with forceful calculated cold death grip
to the long awaited uncovering
of the most unexpected series of events
unmasking just another claimed obsolete mythical creature
in all the grandeur of fantastical far away fairytale lands
something beautiful and mystical
if only it were true
otherwise silly
misguided
unfortunate captor of the mind
flighty
ignorant
even dubious
preying on the wandering souls
hearts skipping beats strung out on reasons to flea
lacking direction except in the pursuit of the road less traveled across
sleeping with one eye open in amusement
just to frenzy in sharp glimmering light
of incandescent rays of the sun left reflected
through the ominous moon beam shining into the room
to hold these puny pitter-pattered
shattered glass teardrops
clutched tightly in weathered hands
well the closest thing may always be
slamming crystals alone in the room
or possibly driving around rolling nut sacks
getting lost in the hood on magic
music has never held truer meaning
than when substance entered the view
hindsight may be 20 20
but it is hard to see with vapor obscuring the view of the road
behind at least
flying so fast
stumbling over the future
no time to catch one last dying breath
passing desperate pleas
if God can hear them
to not allow me to encounter
any sharp bend in my path
or road block
unmarked speed bump
anything so abrupt
unexpected
utterly ill-prepared for
that would cause a halt and crash
one I may never come back from
this is merely a futile attempt
at adopting radical positivity
engaging only the facets that bind
to optimistic blind wide-eyed ideology
that to thou no harm may come
moreover radical acceptance of claimed predestined outcomes
thy will be done
or so they say
regardless ever of
human tendency to reclaim power
over their own simple agency
trust not God
or celestial bond
the ancestors vacated long long ago
unclaimed
uncalled
unappreciated
unhinged
cannot call on them only now
a damsel in distress
bitch left behind
forgotten
discarded and left ripe for death
best not think too far forward much more
just pick up every time stash is low
justify it as the need to ensure brain matter not slow
duck and cover to blow
blue flame clouds
escaping right through the door
hold points in your hands
have some always stashed in your pants
careful to never let the marks show
everything is fine just as long as
no one closest to you ever know
if it is not in plain sight
no need to let it weigh on your mind
for the charade is far more important
than that of the truth held behind
stapled and super glued to torture and bind
muffled screams barely kept choked back
behind sewn up shut sinister enchanting lips
turning up at the corners to force a convincing beguiling smirk
treacherous lies barely hidden by grey hollowed out eyes
smartly designed to make seamless the handcrafted mask
worn so tightly it may be mistaken for skin
keep up the act just long enough to find clarity
slay the elusive dragon plaguing the back
of tempestuous mind or ponder
and plunder in paranoia
perfect misery captured in this
inability to kick the chemical diet
sneaking openly past unguarded lips
swallow that marble all over until it grows to the size of a boulder
one unable to be swallowed without bashing in some teeth
manic morose morbid challenging of mortality
in the never ending pursuit of what if.