Poverty+and+Alcoholism+-+By+Ayanda+Dorsey

http://www.eapn.org/code/en/publ.asp?num=45&section=x3x

__And So It Was__

And so it was, I'd walk the street To wallow where the lonely sleep. My steps alone will sound the tune of darkened hearts beneath the moon. My very life, it seems so strange. To stalk the streets and beg for change. Is change a coin? I think it not, When separate souls are left to rot................................__**Why Drink?**__ The chill of death against my skin................................. Pure selfishness, mans greatest sin..............................."**Poverty and alcohol go hand in hand**?" You fear me so, I don't know why.................................."**Indeed they can** " Find comfort in my liquid lies........................................"**But why is this**?" A fluid bottled, bagged, and cheap,..............................."**It's simple bliss**" Which lulls an empty heart to sleep..............................."**So alcohol can break a life**?" Burning as it eases down,.............................................."**It cuts the soul, a liquid knife**" It is my own, my only crown.........................................."**Why desire such a drink**?" And so it's here I will await,..........................................."**Addictions soothe those on the brink**" The joys that spawn my drunken state..........................."**How does it happen, homelessness**?" I'll watch you pass, avert my eyes,.................................."**It comes with toxins sweetest kiss**" walk on still, ignore me cries.........................................."**This beverage swallows will and reason**?" If this is what my life's to be,.........................................."**Its affects are changing, swift as seasons**" This bottle's found a friend in thee. I'll wait alone forever till The drink I clutch dissolves my will For you can never know this bliss. The sorrow that is homelessness.

__**WHY?**__

You're Moving About, Why Can't You Reach Out? There's No One Ashamed Impossible You're Ageless Yet Old, Why Wait In The Cold? Its Home Familiar It's Mine That Drink That You Swallow. I Beg You To Follow //You're// Begging? You Care? Will you listen? From Here I Wont Part, Till Hope's In Your Heart I Need You I Love You I Thank You**
 * Why Drink When You're On The Brink?**.....................................__WHAT INSPIRED THESE POEMS?__
 * Loneliness**....Research suggests that alcohol is not only an intricate aspect of homelessness, but may in fact prompt it.
 * Fear**..............Alcohol dependency/abuse as well as other substance abuse is often linked to perils of homelessness.
 * Comfort**........Those caught in the vicious cycle of poverty may turn to alcohol as means to mask underlying issues.
 * When Poverty Wins, Why Settle on Gin?**...Similarly, those who become imprisoned by their addiction can fall into a pattern
 * Affordable**....of behavior that leads to reckless behavior, over dependency, and ultimately, an inability to thrive. After learning of
 * Warm**...........this I wanted to illustrate this concept in a series of poems narrated from the perspective of someone without a
 * Obtainable**... home. I had to ask myself "what would it be like to be homeless? How would that feel? How would that affect my
 * When Sadness You Greet, Why Live On The Street?**....perception? These were the concepts that I attempted to express
 * No Options**...through my poetry. Utilizing sources such as http://www.homelesspages.org.uk has helped me to understand
 * Alone**...........the lifestyle and overall reasoning behind poverty and its relationship with alcohol and substance abuse.
 * Defeated

http://www.connectinghistories.org.uk/Learning%20Packages/Migration/migration_settlement_20c_lp_04b.asp

__Breaking The Glass Castle__

Dear Father, I am breaking away from this life of insufficiency. I am repairing all that you have destroyed. Watch me buff my tarnished soul. I will mend my broken dreams. I will pave the neglected roads you have led me down. You HAVE led me down or better, LET me down. Don't apologize, I've resolved to stand. I will stand without you so release me from your grasp. I will stitch the patches in my pride. I am smashing the bottles of abuse you pursed so happily to your lips. Your disposition rapes reason and I will not be ravaged. In my hand I hold a stone of change. I will cast it now and end my suffering. I am breaking the Glass Castle.

__**Questions Unanswered**__

It frightens me It threatens Are we moving again Lori? Its new to me It beckons**................................................................................__IF LORI COULD SPEAK__ No footprints No trace
 * What's that in darkness Dad?
 * Are you listening to me Brian?**..... I don't understand this shit. Bright, kind, compassionate, and forced into this shithole.
 * He's drinking**..................................No food in the fridge, no light, no warmth, but there is always booze. They help him.
 * She's crazy**.....................................Mom's always been too fucked to know anything, selfish prick, but Jeannette!
 * Fourteen months of what Mom?**.....He loves her, adores her, and for that, she's forgiving. How can that be enough?
 * You're pregnant**..............................I see her, slipping crumpled bills into his sweating hands, knowing its purpose is
 * A baby**.............................................the consumption of poison! and why? For what? So he can burst through rotting doors,
 * Why are crying Maureen?**...............smashing the already crumbling walls? This is madness! Maureen alone,
 * Be silent**...........................................Mom detatched, Brian passive, and Jeannette, Jeannette his personal aid.
 * You're safe**.......................................This is sick, perverse, and shit filled. One flush and I'm out.
 * I know we'll leave again

http://blog.garethjmsaunders.co.uk/wp-content/20070709_homeless.jpg**


 * Authors Note: My inspiration for this set of poems comes from the text itself. I really wanted to get inside the mind of the author. What was Jeannette Walls experiencing as a child growing up in poverty? What was her sibling’s reaction? I designed these poems to be a reflection of the memoir itself. I wanted to convey the overall tone of this tragic lifestyle. Jeannette makes it clear to her readers that this life, though adventurous and intriguing at times, is far from the ideal. What would Jeannette like to say to her father if she were given the opportunity? What would she say to her family as a whole? How would they respond? These are all concepts that I utilized to create my work above. It is important to always question and embody the emotions of the narrator. These poems are a direct result and reflection of this idea. **