One sip, one look, one taste, one shot,

Then all I had was suddenly not,

I had everything, but didn't know,

Now here I lay, frostbitten in snow,

Wanting more at first inspired,

Left me successful, little to be desired,

Provider of my own family,

A home to which I held the key,

But then enough was not enough,

Advertised happiness actually handcuffs,

Holding me captive, leading me away,

While I smiled and paid bits more each day,

Family warned me, but I didn't listen,

New friends gripped, diamonds glisten,

Wallet stayed out, wallet lost weight,

No need to tempt me, no need for bait,

Spouse and children left, days later I discovered,

Bought a playmate to replace them, easily recovered,

I truly had more now, though not all good,

Troubles, debts, STD's, paranoid attitude,

Dreaded day came, no money to pay,

Shakes of heads, new "friends" scurried away,

Sold all belongings to get one last hit,

Needed so desperately just a little bit,

Don't recall the day I lost the house,

Laid drunken in streets, christened a louse,

No home to return to, a craving to fix,

I headed downtown, for people to trick,

Moments in between, no money to spare,

Sobering up, wondering why I was there,

I'd been happy, comfortable even,

Kids, a spouse to whom I should have cleaven,

My head fills with screaming, I realize it's my own,

Desperate to move, but I'm chilled to the bone,

This moment of clarity comes all too late,

Tears freeze in my eyes, I've accepted my fate,

As I've given up, a light shines through the haze,

An angel has come to save me from my ways,

The light draws closer, shines orange and warm,

I can just make out a figure through the battering storm,

A smile appears, but not one that seems kind,

Chills colder than the temperature run down my spine,

The glow I thought divine to get out of my rut,

Was merely the burn of a cigarette butt,

Hands grab my jacket, tattered and tore,

"You once possessed wealth, but I've always been poor"

He says with a sneer, greed shines in his eye,

"I may as well take this, for soon you'll die."

Too weak to fight, too stiff to clutch,

The lowest reason I owe them this much,

I laugh as he walks away, drifting to dream,

Jokes on him as I see light, a shimmer, a gleam.