Recovery - July 27, 2024

ten addicts arrive at my gym

to escape the boiled bitter

tea of their pain  writhe in

exercise and blow off steam

one hour later they ant parade

into a van and return to the

recovery house  another one’s

turn to light the stove’s flame

there are secrets to steep

in the hot liquid of truth

and serve scalding hot 

without any sweetener 

with ten swallows for each word

ten stomachs burn

just for now a liquid diet

of regurgitated honesty

things will improve they hear

one day  one cup at a time

the drink will turn tolerable

even better  life-giving

for the thing that brings agony

and kills darkness will be the knife

that slices the black sky

into glorious strips of light