Out of his mind
Out of time
Pronounced dead at the scene of the crime
Family weeps
No one sleeps
Boiling pain like a cup of tea: steeps
Taken too soon
Blood red moon
But butterflies come from a cocoon
Friends far away
Call today
Knowing that all they can do is pray
Into the ground
Homeward bound
Like a stray that’s released from the pound
Only in death
Freed from meth
Now before the man from Nazareth
-Wills Osborn (11/23/16)
November 30 is meth awareness day.
In 2016, I was called in to support a woman whose partner had been killed in a shootout with police. While under the influence of meth, he tried robbing a convenience store. The police arrived before he could get away. News cameras captured him running out of the store, firing a gun. The police returned fire.
I wrote this poem in response to the crisis and the events that followed.
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with substance abuse, please seek help. Find information about SAMHSA’s national helpline here:
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
With Wills 