Victimless Crime, An Oxymoron Poem by Gregory Krabbe

The End of a Friend



A girls young lifeless body now stared up without a blink, The coroner declared, “they do more damage than you think”, He threw the few narcotics in the girls possession box,
Along with her class ring, her brand new Nike’s and her socks,

He called to his attendant “would you start today’s recording, I understand the next of kin, have been here since this morning, ” I’m on it Doc, “It’s one o’clock, My name is Richard Leaven, Assisting Dr. Alan Keyes, Post Mortem, Table Seven”.

The Doctor blurted hopelessly, “we have it’s clear to see, another kid whose probably said, It won’t happen to me, ” “Remove the plate’” the doctor said, “The Usual Bi-Section, A heart that’s blown at 17, and overdose detection, ”

“The fluid screen’s already in, the cause of death today, Depression pain or sleeplessness,
That took her breath away”, “I have a brother, Richard said, and pretty close in age, I’ve heard him say a dozen times, prescriptions are the rage”,

“He thinks they’re safer, better too, and legal, if you’re caught”, “Do you agree? ” the doctor asked, “Is that what you’d have thought? ” Just then a door flew open, and the nurse approached the two, she said, “Her folks are out there, is there something I can do? ”

Great with dread, and nothing said, the doctor walked away, you’d think that after 20 years, I’d know what I should say, ” “What happened cried her father I will never understand, my little girl is seventeen, ” “who did this? ”, he demands,

“I’m sorry sir”, the doctor said, “I have a daughter too”, I wish there was another way to spare this pain for you, I need you to identify your daughter for me Sir, It is to say the only way that we can know for sure, ”

The grieving parents slumped and sobbed, when her young face appeared, of all the trials in life this I the worst they’d ever feared, Her Mother screamed, what do we do, I don’t know what to say, we got a call while in the Mall, her birthday is in May, ”

“She wants a birthstone ring” she said, I never would have guessed, instead we’d need a headstone and a place for her to rest, ” The doctor said, “I’m sorry Ma’am, but I really have to know, did Ashleigh see a doctor named, D’Andre Pyieriko? ”

“Pyieriko is my physician, snapped her grieving Dad, he did my shoulder surgery when the pain was getting bad, ” but Ashleigh never met him, please just tell me what went wrong, we really need to know now why our little girl is gone, ”

“I know, ” again the doctor said, “In each determination, we run a toxicology, for blood contamination, we found some drugs in Ashleigh’s blood, we think that’s why we’re here, She’s overdosed on opiates, the 14th one this year, ”

“Preliminary tests suggest, the chemicals we found, are all the same as your prescription near her on the ground, ” “Had Ashleigh taken pills before, that either of you know, ”
They simply cried, and walked away, “We really have to go, ”


The next day Kaitlyn walked the steps, of Ashley’s former yard, she had to see her best friend’s folks, she knew that this was hard, She’d be there with them in their grief, so common place these days, Kaitlyn felt part of herself died too, in many ways,

Kaitlyn found the pills that Ashley took each day for pain, and she always had them with her wrapped in colored cellophane, But Kaitlyn’s pain is greater now than losing her best friend, this “pain” began a year ago, and never seemed to end, But Ashley begged her silence, Kaitlyn kept it to herself, Now all that’s left of Ashley is her picture on a shelf! -


So love enough to anger those who may have lost their way, sometimes a life is saved by whom you tell and what you say, Thousands more will die and say “It’s only medication, ” but Ashley took a trip but didn’t know her destination! ”

By Gregory Krabbe
Greenville SC