Inhale
Inhale
Inhale
Inhale
Hold it
Exhale
Slowly
Slowly
Slower

Day three four five
Six seven eight
Time ceases to play
Its role in this epic
Monologue the sun
Is rising and falling
According to the
Loaded pipe sitting in
Dougie’s hands
One more rock
One more fucking
Rock

Another crack rock sitting
Idly in its cradle another
Lighter bursting yellow
And red against dirty
Glass another bell ringer
Followed by another one
Two three more days of
Paranoia and wonderful
Anxiety

The cops are watching his
Mom is watching Jesus is
Watching Amber is watching
Jessica is watching the dopeman
Is watching God is watching

Speeding through traffic in a
Shitstained Honda Accord the
Dealer is mobile and is followed
Ceaselessly into Kirkland Bellevue
Redmond Sammamish Issaquah Ballard
Snoqualmie Falls Airport Way
Into Heaven and Hell
Dougie follows relentlessly
Racing against work schedules
He won’t follow anyways
And a sickness he can’t avoid

Smoking melted soap detergent
Deodorant baking soda
It all looks and tastes the same
But it won’t get you high and
That’s all that matters:
Surviving another day night
Day night day night day night
To get one more crack hit

The tears come eventually
Always
Tears for girlfriends beat up
Protection orders violated
Days and nights spend in
This jail and that lock-up
Jobs lost
Mothers’ tears
Jewelry pawned
Bars closed out
Cars wrecked
Friends with ticking
Time bomb hearts
That eventually
Go boom silently
Within concaved malnourished
Chests

Another crack rock sunrise.
Another dead junkie.

David Thompson David Thompson is twenty-three.  He writes poems in between slavish restaurant gigs.  He used to drugs and drink.  Now he's strung out on the written word.  Or something like that.  He lives in Kirkland, Washington. If you're interested in reading more of his work, check out his tumblr: http://saintdavid.tumblr.com/