Just Another Day
I got the call and rushed out the door
My hands were shaking
I couldn't grip the steering wheel
Four days
Nobody had heard from him for four days
I am his emergency contact
My key was at home
So I banged on the windows and doors
The neighbors peeping
From behind their curtains
But I didn't care
The police arrived
I was sure he was dead
How will I tell his family?
How did it get this bad?
Am I going to look?
Why am I having such weird thoughts?
We walked in the house
It was smoky inside
There was spilled milk across the floor
There was a burning pan on the stove
That had melted the milk container
Sitting next to it
The house smelled liked a combination
Of cigarettes and puke
Suddenly, a monster appeared
Half naked and covered
In vomit and mustard
The monster screamed and yelled
About how we intruded
He just didn't feel well
Didn't hear the phone
He slurred as he slid down the wall
No he doesn't need to go to the hospital
The police can't make him
I told his work he was sick
And would be at work the next day
Covered for him like I always have
So he doesn't end up on the streets
He wouldn't even remember
What happened anyway
I go back to my life like I always have
And think "I am too old for this"
I think about the man he used to be
And how sad he would be to know
The person he would become
But it was just another day
For my junkie father