Finding Hope on the other side: A poem about addiction

By Tyler Rayburn

Sit back and listen and I’ll tell you a story,

A story that starts with a sweet little boy.

His parent's first child, their little bundle of joy.

For two young parents life’s scary and hard.

And though they did their best they caught a run of rough cards.

And the stress started fights that went way too far.

And the little boy saw things that left emotional scars.

So he would hide in his mind where he could silence the screaming.

He searched high and low just trying to find meaning.

He turned to religion but only found poisoned teaching.

Then one day he found what he thought he’d been seeking.

It started out small just beer and some weed.

It eased his mind and fulfilled all his needs.

Soon that occasional buzz became a daily reprieve.

But with every drink he watered that seed.

With paralyzed eyes he watched his addiction bloom.

Until the only friends he had left were a rig and a spoon.

And his only thought was for his next balloon.

Numb to the world he sat alone in his room.

Then something happened he didn't expect.

That shot in his arm didn’t have the desired effect.

It no longer killed all the pain and regret.

His tightrope was fraying and there was no safety net.

He began to panic as the reality sat in.

This road he’d been on was now at an end.

He had to find help but where to begin?

You see that needle had robbed him of all of his friends.

With nowhere to turn he fell on his face,

Cried out "God if you're there I'm in need of some grace!

My world is a wreck I'm a walking disgrace!"

Well if you don't know by now that little boy was me,

Its been a hard road but now I'm finally free.

To be the man I was always intended to be.

Eyes once blind can finally see.

That God is so much more than I ever envisioned,

His love is bigger than that boy's broken religion.

He’s the air that I breathe,

He’s The key to my prison.

Every day I Pray for His wisdom,

And ask for his guidance before every decision.

It was love that finally let me let go,

Of all of the things that were stealing my sou.l

The lust, the drugs, the need for control.

All of the lies that society sold,

Were like smoke in my lungs suffocating me slow.

It was love that saved me from the dark and the cold.

But I see now that I'm worth it,

I'm more precious than gold.

If it worked for me it can work for you too.

At times we're all broken, lost, and confused.

Love can change you, it can make you brand new.

You see my story’s really no different that yours.

We all have skeletons locked behind closet doors,

So when you feel like you just cant take anymore,

When it feels like you're drowning in a sea that's at storm,

When dark clouds roll in and the rain starts to pour,

Just remember this one thing, keep it way down in your core;

Let go and let God, He’ll bring you to shore.