When I met you,
my heartbeat fret--
something was incongruous.

And once frantic words  
careened out of your mouth--
I saw rapid fire machine gun
rubber bullets bouncing everywhere.
Neighborhood dogs desperately yipped
and barked and howled
as your attempts to weave a conspiracy laden
tragic web of a storybook life into a net
to trap those who will listen  unravel
before me.
Storm clouds darken around you.
The cacophonous pandemonium of your voice
and slithering slender body
are fascinating to watch  as headlights dance
by while you whirl in the middle of the road,
***** drink in one hand
a plucky smile--
your green eyes glow like melting peridot.
With a train wreck personality,
your frolfing at a busy intersection
influence over some is astonishing!

The next morning,
through a haze of listlessness,
I understand what you are;
Succubus.

Above the black wood
A moonless, deep cobalt, vault
Filled with stellar sparks
Glowered, mute and majestic
Below, coyotes howled and yipped

When you left your childhood to become an adolescent.
Your mind was elated, curious and effervescent.
You wanted to know the unknown and try the untried.
You were prepared to break laws and put rules aside
Then you smoked me bit by bit.

When you saw any girl having beauty immense.
You wanted love between you and her to commence.
You looked at her with pleasing smile.
You held me in your hand with great style
And you smoked me bit by bit.

When you were in anguish, pain and grief.
You wanted some-kind of respite and relief.
You held me between your fingers tight.
With help of lighter you set me alight
And you smoked me bit by bit.

When you wanted to show your happiness to others.
With happiness and smoke you wanted to create smothers.
With joy you cried, shouted and yipped.
Then tightly between your lips you gripped
And you smoked me bit by bit.

Now I became your habit and your need.
You were ready to surrender and concede.
You were losing a thing which cannot be bought with wealth.
You cared the least about your deteriorating health
And you smoked me bit by bit.

Now everywhere and anywhere you cough.
You are sick and your end is not faro-ff.
People look at you with pity and ruth.
You fool, now let me tell you the truth
All these days I smoked you bit by bit.

Propellers ripped through the morning air. —Destroying the peaceful solitude. The yet conscious hikers stare on, unaware or uncaring of the violence unfolding. Circling like vultures, the shots rang out…Do it for good or do it for gold. Do it for likes or do it for strife…. —Each one howled and growled, yipped and they yapped, even the pups tried to keep up….—A lone soul listed with intent, just two hours before—— before they came, and took more than lives…
——but they also gave, they gave us this poem to read,  and a  lesson to teach….and a wish to one day live in harmony…

A worst nightmare loomed large
notification courtesy Montgomery County
Assistance Office caseworker
implied medical coverage axed
I felt hammered, nailed, shingled out...
livid with rage
frenzied, harried, jarred...
railing away
fit tubby tied to train tracks
ready to **** myself,
but dang, I ain't got enough funds  
to cover funeral  
or preferably cremation costs.

Bajillion dollars for medications
yikes - anxiety/panic attacks
slated to return with vengeance,
no way to pay hearst driver/
nor burial services
grave diggers will mutiny
unable to calm down
a bottle of tranquilizers...
and/or sharp pointed objects
appeared very tempting
questions needed answering ASAP!

Telephone numbers yielded voice menu
dialed Consumer Service Center
for Health Coverage
at long last - a real person
thank dog.

Whew - informed of short checklist
checking account transactions
backdated to June 2023
until most recent activity
slight sigh of wry tears relief
grace period until August 2023
accessed Citizens account online
of course Login fraught
with problematic issues Yow.

Chose new password
finally accessed anemic
measly anorexic balance
scrolled mouse pointer
highlighted/copied designated dates
pasted said information
into Word document
ah...prints esse finally blessed me
folded half dozen plus pages
affixed three postage stamps
out apartment door
slipped material into onsight mailbox.

Breathed sigh of relief
agitation subsided within core
rage against human machine (me)
penuriousness smarted, vetted, yipped...
analogous to pet peeve
emotionally exhausted and spent
penniless poet plopped into bed
instant sleep refreshed
highly cooled figurative heels
subsequently resumed hashtagging
black and decker tooled mindset
concomitant with grievous bitterness

decried flagrantly mucking potential
squandered so many
prime vocational opportunities
severely compromised thank you;
loathsome debilitating panic attacks
years gone by;
voluntarily enrolled institutions,
albeit of higher learning
hopscotched from one college/
university after another
work history record scattershot
unable to sustain employment

intermittent jobs between
prolonged gaps, deemed
expendable, replaceable, unmarketable...
great boost to self esteem
qualified to receive
Social Security disability
predicated on serious
mental health issues
to recapitulate incapacitated
presumably congenital aberration
other than above internal melee...,
I feel Gr-r-reat!