Addict Chick

There is no remedy for love but to love more. - Thoreau

I talked with you when everyone said, "Never mind her."

I listened to you when you told me how life had raped your soul.

I cried with you when we connected through the pain and hurt.

I stayed up all night holding you in my arms to keep the demons at bay.

I walked through the snow to sit with you at the hospital.

I held your hand when the nurse couldn't find a vein.

I caressed your cheek and ran my fingers through your hair despite how the stuff had aged you.

I kissed you even though your breath smelled of tobacco and the

junk had rotted your teeth.

I gazed into your inner beauty through gorgeous, cinematic eyes which served as looking glasses to your heart.

I saw an innocent, little girl holding a teddy bear, not withstanding your tough exterior.

We listened to music and sang together as we discovered that we knew the same words to the same songs.

We walked together in the street that day when we both laughed so hard that we doubled over and our stomachs hurt.

We laid naked in bed together where nothing hides.

We made love for the sake of love because all that we had to give each other was ourselves.

I sat with you week after week in the pew while they stared, pointed and whispered.

I carried your trash bag when they said you weren't welcome there anymore.

We never judged each other, despite our heavy baggage and different paths.

I pulled your hood up over your head because nothing is ever going to hurt you again, not even the wind at the train station.

Time flies when we're together because I never want it to end.

Most times, we don't have to talk; we look at each other and just know.

The poison that was in your hand has been replaced by my hand, our fingers intertwined.

You showed me how to care again and have the courage to face the new day.

Thank you addict chick.

I love you ...

Author's Note

"Things do not change; we change." - Thoreau

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This is brilliant & beautiful. Someone could've said a lot of these things about me, altho I've never been a hardcore addict with regards to drugs. But there are many ways to act out compulsively so as to blot out one's life and all these addicts have similar characteristics. You paint the scenes of this story with such a stunning tapestry of acceptance next to stark, sometimes almost painfully stark observations. There isn't one word that doesn't sound authentic for this type of relationship. I get so tired of reading typical love poems, it's a breath of fresh air to have love portrayed in all it's compelling layers. This is so well balanced, nothing jars anywhere! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Pete]

thank you ever so much. you get it all!! the test of true love lying in the dark valleys. when we can smile as the wheels are coming off ... well, then we have arrived. when we emerge from the fire, everything is gone but the gold that remains and that is spelled ... L O V E ... you are one smart cookie. i love this review ... :)

[barleygirl]

Your reply to my review is pretty special, too! *smile*

[C. M. Miller]

Pete, this was a difficult read. Addiction takes many forms, both emotional and physical. To give so much of yourself without the guarantee of any success, is hard to do; over and over again. Your statement here is that we learn more about who we are when we are focused upon someone else. That quiet space finally comes, and it is a clear sky.

[Pete]

Good perspective & understanding about what is being conveyed. You are a wise & insightful man. Thanks for the read. Regards.

[James]

Very nice. A great description of the addict and how society sees them. Anyone who has an addict in their family can attest to how difficult it is to love one.

[Pete]

Thank you, James. I appreciate your reading this. Regards.

[A.marie.speaks]

It's so hard to love an addict, to be supportive, most just end up trying to change them... but you've done a great job at showing how some people can accept and love without question. Nice job.

[Pete]

Thank you for reviewing. Best regards.

[Blysful]

"... because nothing is ever going to hurt you again, not even the wind at the train station"
That is just so beautiful and so sad but so happy and UUUGH feels. Well done Pete, this is marvellous! It really made me feel, I think the language you chose for each line was perfect - realistic enough to resonate, poetic enough to be beautiful. Bravo!

[Pete]

Thank you. I appreciate your reviews very much because you totally emerge yourself in the feelings being conveyed & "get it" so well. Regards.

[JayceeC]

People are people at the end of the day. We all have the same need for love and acceptance. Sometimes those that point and whisper have more to hide than those who embrace openly who and what they have become.

[Pete]

Well said. If only we could all remember that always. Thanks.