Journey Through the Bottle

Happiness cannot be found

In the bottom of a bottle.

Drinks and pills cannot fill

A heart that has gone hollow.

Stand up!

I scream when I know you cannot hear me.

I can't!

You gasp because your body is so weary.

No person can reach you

When you hide inside bottles.

I try to protect you

When others would have you throttled.

"It was hard for me too.

We should have supported eachother.

Instead I helped out all I could

To protect you, my mother."

I try to protect you,

But you finally see my pain.

You grab me by the hand

And sware to be better again.

As your body weakens,

Your resolve grows stronger.

As you realize what you caused,

You finally begin to hunger.

You hunger for the health

That was lost when you were hurt.

You hunger for the relationships

That you tossed away like dirt.

You get up on one knee

And you pray with all your soul.

You open your eyes

And you finally stand up.

You stagger a lot

Because you lost so much strength.

I give you shoulder to lean on,

But you lean on God instead.

I brushed myself off and worked through my issues,

Goodness knows I had too many.

I grew to see myself in you,

And I knew that we would be happy.

I am so proud of you, Mom.

Look what you have become!

You can stand on your two feet

Because you fought with courage and won.