The Atrium

Withdrawals

He is under the covers

of a bed.

He is shaking, but

He is not cold.

His bones ache and muscles twitch.

Hell billows through him

like he is the Earth.

A beast riddles his ribs

As if in a cage.

He won’t give up,

won’t give in.

Yet he has a demon

Tugging at his bones,

Poking at his heart,

and slowly whispering in his ear.

But like the waves on a coastline

His urges keep coming,

Until he is sucked in by the undertow.