Beer Bottle and Pills

Beer Bottles and Pills

I close my eyes and rewind back to a time

When strife sliced up my life like a serrated knife

Mother and father struggled to pay the bills

For our budget had gone towards beer bottles and pills

My brothers and sister, they couldn't do anything

But watch as our parents again risked everything

Wasting money by day and themselves at night

And yet still surprised to find that they always fight

Meanwhile, I just sat there on the filthy floor

Nice and warm, playing my Nintendo 64

Unaware of the scary scene that had formed

And that soon we wouldn't be in that house anymore

One day the bank came, to our parents' dismay

And with haste proceeded to take our house away

Which left us homeless and broke, trying to cope

Roaming the whole state from place to place with the hope

That we could get back up to our knees at least

And be able to afford more than fast food feasts

But still the family was left deathly ill

As our budget had gone towards beer bottles and pills

Meanwhile, I just sat there, without a damn clue

Just a six year old boy who was failing in school

For I had missed so many days and was refused

The ADHD meds I needed to pull through

My siblings, they eventually moved out

They wanted to take me, there was never a doubt

But they couldn't, and man, it brought them so much pain

For me to stay in that place with nothing to gain

But abuse in the shape of endless neglect

And a domestic mess deserving no respect

And the worst part was that my parents couldn't tell

They had made their son's abode a physical Hell

Meanwhile, I remained unaware, without fail

Wondering why Daddy had been locked up in jail

On the snowy night that Santa's sleigh set sail

To bring happiness to all of those kids who wail

Soon we arrived at the American Lodge

A hotel that, thankfully, didn't cost a whole lot

Where we stayed until that gloomy day when Fate

Rewrote the words he carved onto his stone slate

In a drunken rage, Dad struck Mom with the phone

That was the one mistake for which he couldn't atone

Then later, while he was in his prison cell

The police found some drugs my Mom had planned to sell

Meanwhile, I was confused and honestly scared

Tightly squeezing my favorite stuffed polar bear

When my Mom gently ran her hand through my hair

And told me, "The police have to take me somewhere."

The following year brought a torrent of tears

Though the parts near the beginning aren't all that clear

I went to live with my brothers for a while

And then was forced to leave them and their soothing smiles

I was left in a stranger's place, so afraid

She was a scary lady who never refrained

From shouting every time I messed something up

And left me just longing to feel like I was loved

Meanwhile, I curled up on that alien bed

Sometimes wanting to cry until my eyes turned red

Praying daily that this madness my life bred

Would soon end along with this emotive bloodshed

And then after four months of pleas unanswered

I received a bright sign that things would get better

In the form of a caring, married couple

Who were looking to save a small child from struggle

The moment I moved in, I felt loved again

Sobs no longer smothered every tired breath

And I still remember the day I was told

"Son, welcome to your brand new home!"

Now a decade's passed and I've since then moved on

Still I thank God everyday at the dawn of dawn

I've changed so much more than you could ever know

And I've promised myself that I'll never cease to grow

The boy who once received grades that were so low

Is now a college student on an honor roll

With a love for puns, family, friends and life

And he will be that way until the day he dies

Dedicated, with much love, to those who are/have been in foster care for any reason.

This is probably the most personal piece I'm ever going to write