Long ago he fought the battle.
He single-handedly defeated,
all of the forces which had,
for so long been controlling him.

Even having defeated them,
the demons will not let him be.
To this day they continue haunting,
trying desperately to persuade his urges.

Everywhere he goes, there they are,
taunting, luring, appealing.
The voices in his head,
so tempted to once again invite the demons in.

He cannot get away.
No matter what he does,
they will never leave him.

On his television, billboards, in magazines,
they are staring at him,
calling his name.

Some days it is easy to pretend,
that he does not notice them.
Then there are those days ...
those days when he almost gives in.

Only when the day has been rough,
or at the point of exhaustion,
does it really gnaw at him.

About to surrender,
he has to draw strength from the within.
Reminding himself of what the demons,
have failed to mention,
what they once did to him.

They took all of his money,
his job,
his friends.

Almost took his family,
and his life.
They tore him apart,
over the span of several years.

Only now does he realize,
it took too many long painful nights,
filled with anger and tears,
to just throw it all away for pleasure,
that will only bring guilt and shame.

Facing the demons,
knowing they are on any street corner
or in every whiskey bottle.
He will continue this struggle,
everyday, for the rest of his life.

Today, he stood proud and strong,
remaining the victor,
over his demons!

01/20/2002

Author's Note: To all of you facing your own demons, Keep the Faith ...

Posted on 01/20/2002
Copyright © 2025 Adrian Calhoun