When You Slip

I am homeless and everyday I experience someone around me
Using drugs and crack
I hear the arguments and it all sounds pretty wack
A voice in anger fueled by crack
Always up always on
Disturbing myself and others who see what is going wrong
Addiction comes to visit every day
Addicts use and abuse themselves and us in simple ways
This is not just your air space it is also mine
I do not want to be forgiving or even kind
When you light up and suck in to breathe out
It makes me angry and I want to shout get the hell out!
Me and anyone next to you, without a doubt,
Gets a second hand breath of every inch the slow breath death you take
Second hand smoke is no joke
When you take a poke
Anyone gets a jolt
There is no more free air space
We all share the same tiny shelter space
I am not trying to make an addict’s mistake
Of purposefully lighting up, I do not want the first intake
The beginning of an addict’s journey
Me and others, who are clean and sober, know it is not funny
And not worth the loss of friends, family and money
So when you light up go outside where no one can see
So we also cannot smell
Your slow trip to hell
Spare us the disgust
Of smelling your second hand dust!

F.N.
10/16/06