Home   Home

Heroin...

by Karl Waldbauer

He entered my life
much like mainlined heroin spreads
quickly and completely through an addict's brain.
It was just a night’s fun...
until I found myself wanting more of him.

He,
for his part,
was warm,
seductive,
always available,
wrapping his legs tightly around me
while urging me to take him again and again.

It had happened.
I was hooked.
Totally addicted.

He told me his lover was dying in a hospice.
He visited every day,
massaging his broken body.
Read to him when he could no longer see...
until early one Halloween night.

When he came home from work,
I told him the hospice had called.
With tears in my eyes
I told him his lover had died.

As he drove away,
I spotted a brilliant star beckoning.
I knew
at that moment
the dead man was reaching out to me.

It was then I made a promise
to the lover’s spirit.
I promised
to never knowingly hurt the one we both loved.

I kept that promise...
when our relationship was dying.
Dying,
like an addict
who has taken too much heroin,
unable to breath,
unable to maintain a heartbeat.

05/31/2004

Posted on 06/01/2004
Copyright © 2024 Karl Waldbauer

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Amanda L Marron on 06/03/04 at 12:23 AM

the visualization in this piece is stellar.....what a heartfelt poem

Posted by Michele Schottelkorb on 06/04/04 at 08:26 AM

you have blown me, and i mean blown me, away with this intensely felt piece... your analogy here is fitting, and you write with clarity and reality... i wanted to cry nearing the end, it is that powerful and emotion-filled... blessings to you...

Posted by Joan Serratelli on 04/02/06 at 12:48 AM

I agree with all of the above. It is not only powerful and honest; it is sad and heartfelt. The ending made me a bit misty. Excellent write!

Posted by Mo Couts on 06/24/11 at 05:03 AM

Wow Karl; I can say nothing that hasn't already been said. What a gloriously beautiful piece.

Return to the Previous Page
 

pathetic.org Version 7.3.2 May 2004 Terms and Conditions of Use 0 member(s) and 2 visitor(s) online
All works Copyright © 2024 their respective authors. Page Generated In 0 Second(s)