Shadow At My Heals Poem by Matthew Foor

Creepin like the shadows on my heals
Following my every move
Stealin my zeal
Patience, it loves to test
More powerful than the rest
Of my emotions
Who would've guessed
It would leave me so distressed
From the time I get up and get dressed
To the time I lie down to rest
Hard to handle
That's what I confess
Agitation tugs at my coat tails
Irritation never fails
People create a fog of tense
Fingers dig deep into my brain
And start to snap
Voices become the enemy
Hands fidget in my lap
Leg starts to shake
Eyes start to roll
All of this is taking its toll

How do I cope
Where is my hope
It used to lie in dope
Now it lies in an envelope
Labeled "How to cope"
Inside, a little note that screams
"Get over it! "

Easy for it to say
Irritation is my day-to-day
A heavy breath
A quickened heart
It feels like death
Like I'm falling apart

Take a walk is what I choose
Negative thoughts running loose
A staunch craving
One to use

It was always just pot
Never booze
None of the hard stuff
No crack, smack, or meth
I only chose the green stuff
To puff

Now I'm clean
No longer a fiend
All is clear
And it brings a tear
To my mamma's eye
But I'm not gonna lie
And say it doesn't cross my mind
Especially when I show these signs
Irritability snuffs out my tranquility
Causing my instability
It's gonna take some time
Like learning a pantomime
Like teaching myself how to rhyme
Sometimes it seems like
My life is turning on a dime

Just slow down
Take a minute to inhale
Now exhale all that negativity
Don't let life lead you to blasphemy
Rebuke those thoughts that tense your neck
Let the contradictory write the check
Just don't cash it
Instead just turn up your deck
Crank it to where nothing else can get through
Blast it
Kill those voices too
There's no room in that head for the two of you.