Poems Don't Have to Rhyme

Half a Conversation, In Reverse

You are a lesson in patience straight from heaven, my dear sweet friend.

You need to find that reason.

You need to dream more. Always want to learn and grow.

That's not necessarily your fault. If I had parents like yours I'd probably grow to hate myself too. But you have to shake yourself out of it.

You hate yourself, I mean. I think you do.

I don't hate myself, but I'm afraid you do.

That's the world's way of thinking. To be complacent and believe you're doing just fine as you are. It's a trap to think like that. We're supposed to be in the world but not of it.

No one is without sin.

I'm trying to do better, and while I may talk big, I'm under no illusions of being a "great person". The Bible even says that.

You know that's not true.

I'm prideful, self-righteous, priggish, impatient, easy to anger. I treat my family like shit. I've emotionally scarred my own brother, I'm sure. I lack agency. I'm afraid of life.

I'm not. You don't know me very well if you think I'm great.

No one is great. You have to try to be better, but no one is great.

You don't have to please anyone. You just have to be a better person.

I know.

I noticed you've gotten jealous lately too.

Whenever you were here you were high and I hated it, but I didn't say anything because I knew it would upset you and you'd do these same mental gymnastics to try and convince me it was okay, it was just a phase, you could stop at any time.

A year in which I barely saw you.

I won't run. You'll just slip away from me. Because getting high will wind up meaning more to you than me, and you won't care if I go or not. You won't even care if I'm still there for you. I'll just be like any other crutch.

Then our friendship isn't going to last, because I can't handle this two-faced shit.

You act like a completely different person when you're on it. I can't fucking reach you. I want you, my best friend, not the weed.

I know you're in pain, but there's got to be another way than smoking weed. That shit is going to destroy your life. It already alters your personality.

Every addict claims they can stop.

You need help.

You shouldn't have started smoking in the first place. I know you did it to fit in but you're not in college anymore. Now it's just a crutch, you keep saying you're going to stop and you keep going back to it. You're addicted.

Stop smoking now and you won't have to take the risk.

Your money back if you fail a drug test... they'll send you the money in prison, more like. For fuck's sake how can you be this gullible. It's alternative medicine bullshit, there's no science to back it up.

Your parents are the opposite of credible. They're anti-credible.

It says it doesn't work.

It's gonna take longer to detox.

Why? You should not have done that.

I thought you weren't smoking anymore.