MONO ISSUE 2 - Flipbook - Page 94
Except when I smell hot Cheetos and my stomach turns,
thinking of that big fight with the red powder-stained fingers
smearing the white wall
while I cleaned up the snack-speckled puke off the floor
Except when I hear a small child scream
and my heart races
while I scan for an exit,
my flight instinct kicking in
Except when I think of their parents
in and out of prison,
gutted by their separation from their babies,
this family being just one example
of the collateral damage
of the war on drugs
Except every time I see other kids we’ve let down
and left behind,
along with their parents,
no matter what they’ve done
What about what we’ve done to them?
How we failed them
I don’t think about the kids I gave up
except when I do
*1st Prize winner of the 2021 INSANITY competition judged by Padraig Rooney.
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