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When you think of a drug addict, what do you see?
Someone who’s messed up, depressed, or on the street.
Sadly, there are quite a few of those freaks
They need their daily dosage or their days incomplete.
But what if I told you users aren’t the real drug addict?
It’s the government…. They’re the real drug addicts

But wait isn’t that a little dramatic?
That cant be true! Show me some facts, I demand it!

Alright, alright…. Hold on… if you demand it, here’s some facts then
In 2011 the war on drugs cost 23 billion dollars
But, that’s just the federal budget, you just wait, the states can replicate.
Over 30 billion dollars were put on their plate
That’s 53 billion total, 1716 of every second of every day… isn’t that insane!?

Well yeah, you could say that’s insane, but I’m still not impressed, can you step up your game?

Of course I can do that! I have much more to say!

Okay then, I’m all ears, amaze my brain!

From 1987 to 1995, the corrections budget increased 30% because more and more people were being thrown in the pent
Meanwhile, spending on higher education was on the decent--- 18% to be correct

Ah, that makes sense, but what I don’t get, is how that’s relevant?

Just a sec, I have more to vent
In 2010 21% of those in the pent were in for a drug related offense
And what percent of people do you think had a malicious intent?

Well… I guess you could say slim to none

Right! While educations lacking the proper funds to teach kids what they need to know

Okay, okay, I get what you’re saying now, but I still don’t get why you think the government is the drug addict?
I mean, don’t users spend more on drugs than the government does?
Drugs are expensive, and they take an abundance of money from a users pocket.

Yes, that’s true, they spend more spend more money than the government does
There are 20 million plus who reported using drugs in 2011, they spent around 70 billion dollars to support their love
That’s 3500 dollars spent per user
Meanwhile, just over 7 million people are employed by the gov
You know what that means? Our gov spends 7300 dollars per person employed for the war on drugs.

Wow… I never thought of it like that, those are quite the facts
You know what, that actually makes me mad
Obviously it makes our government a mockery, a living joke of a democracy
I can see why you say the government is a drug addict now
They’re addicted to a war that’s bringing us down
They can’t go a day without spending money on it
And look how successful it has been… pretty prominent their habit is chronic
I even recently heard that more people die from drugs they’re prescribed than drugs that are despised

Yes! I almost forgot that! It’s actually 10 times more people! Isn’t that unbelievable!?

Now, we’re not trying to say we should end the war on drugs
But don’t you think its time the government rethinks their strategy?
Because its obvious the one they have now is a tragedy.
A slam poem of mine about the government as a drug addict. Conversational, did it with a partner. Also, this is one I had to do some research on, I was looking to do something new.
Ida Blue Sep 2011
She sits there alone and cold
Cold from the fight they just had
Cold from the words given
Just cold

She rethinks the talk they had,
Rethinks all the moments that went bad
All the regret just harbored
She sits there alone
Isolated from the one she wants the most
He’s two hundred miles away, doesn’t even care
Doesn’t even say goodbye doesn’t even apologize
Apologize for all the neglect

All the strife
The pain between them
The anguish he gives
The lonely nights he induces
The broken heart he creates
He doesn’t even know

She sits there tending to the wound, the deep
Cut visible to no one but hurts her like a disease
Like a disease, it eats her away bit by bit
Clutching to her like a newborn child,
It won’t go away
Won’t let her forget that night
Won’t let her think of anything else but him

She sits there thinking
Being productive just isn’t an option
It’s like she’s sick
It’s like she can’t move, knowing he’s angry
But he doesn’t chase her
Doesn’t fight for her like he should
Like he told her that night
The confessions he gave her
The high he gave her
The addiction he’s given her
It’s like he forgot

Overwhelmed with himself and the moments he’s in,
He never recalls that night,
Neither does she
He never talks about the kiss,
Neither does she
He never tells her what she needs to hear,
Because he doesn’t know
Can someone be so ignorant?
Can someone really not sense a connection between two people?

He leads her on like a horse to water
But leads her to nothing but dry sand
He uses her like a tool,
One day but not the next
Like she’s a convenient item waiting around
For him when necessary
Like she doesn’t deserve better

Yet she sits, thinking
Her addiction is too strong
Her heart is weak
And her need is great
She texts him
Looking for a response
Anything to help her move forward
Anything to give her hope with a future with him
Anything to remind her of that night
Anything to remind her of the moments they shared
In denial,
He doesn’t say it
Not one word closer to what she needs
Not one call closer to what she yearns for
So she waits
She plays the friend card,
The loyal, pure-minded friend
Holding back her feelings,
Holding back the lust until he says it
Something, that anything
So she can finally tell him
She knows it won’t be tonight maybe not tomorrow
But she waits
Like a tiger to its prey,
She waits for a drunken night
And drunken texts
She waits for his vulnerability to heal her own
Waits for the confessions to begin
Waits

Day by day she withers away
Waiting for a boy
Who knows nothing but joy
Knows nothing of pain
Knows not the love he can gain
With such few words
Because she can love him like no other
Be like no other lover
Be like none before
And still have him coming back for more
So he sits there drinking a beer
Talking to his friends who sit near
Ignorant to the pain he gives her

As she sits there quietly
Hurting, yearning
Drinking the pain away
Smoking the hurt into ash
Getting her fix from the thing he quit
And falling faster and deeper into an emotional pit

This is why people isolate themselves
They don’t like vulnerability
They don’t like pain
The hurt, regret, stabbing, burning, cutting, pain
They don’t want to cry
To sit there all night on some false hope
False hope of attachment of potential
No
They turn their back
Ignore the person who hurts them
Ignores them like a child giving the cold shoulder
Facing away from him,
With tears in her eyes
She hurts herself by separating from him
By building a wall
Hurts herself by trying to end their relationship,
End everything they are,
But she’s weak

Looking over her shoulder to see if he’s still there,
She picks up her phone to write another text.
Pen Lux Nov 2014
Camille is purple
tensing her body
feeling lonely
not lonely
enough
to call anyone
all calls are dry mouthed
and stained ***** red
apothic red if you
want her to be
exact although
unnatural
she writes
drunk
and never edits
the words tumble out
of her like kids who learn
gymnastics at a young age
and laugh at her for plugging
her nose when jumping into the
foam pit, so unnatural

Marilyn talks to her and she
feels a little less lonely, and
a little more comfortable in
her abnormalities as she sips
at her glass before chugging
the rest of the bottle while
pondering another until
she realizes that it's no
good for her rethinks
and decides it's a
yes
supreme
Emanzi Ian Dec 2019
Don’t give up yet, hold on a minute
He returns home late and drunk daily
Don’t give up yet, hold on a minute
I still remember the words you said when you me for him
Don’t give up yet, hold on a minute
You told me to go to hell with my love and that he is all you needed to love
You also told me you were ready to spend the rest of your life with him
It’s just one kid down the road and a few disappointments here and there, and you are ready to abandon your so-called soul mate?!
You should never wish that you and I ever get back together
You almost wrecked my heart and I survived that
I do not ever want you back in my life, not even as a friend
What we once had totally came to an end
For some time after you were gone, I constantly wished you’d come back to me all in vain

Don’t give up yet, hold on a minute
Maybe, all he initially felt for you was lust and you never thought of it that way
Maybe, he even got fed up of you long time back but has not really found the right way to let you know
What if he still does love you so much?
Maybe, during those days when he comes back late, he is from meeting with his other lover that is younger than you
Just don’t give yet, hold on a minute
Patience pains but pays, you know that
If you persevere and eventually, he rethinks his actions, you’ll be so proud of yourself
Don’t give up yet, hold on a minute
Even on those days when he returns violent, bear with him and show him that still, you will stay with him
I call that love and care
Don’t give up yet, hold on a minute.

— The End —