This poem was written for a family member who bravely fought demons to achieve sobriety. She has been sober for 18 years now.

For Her

Late nights, bright lights, and rooms filled up with smoke
And afterward, she’s feeling blue, it seems like such a joke
She searches, asking just for love but never seems fulfilled
She cries alone at night because she thinks her fate is sealed

She never knows just where to turn to ask for love once more
And even though she pleads for it, it won’t come through the door
She must not know that deep inside, there’s more than just desire
She fills the void with empty spirits, dancing with the fire

The need for that thing “stronger than her fear” has taken hold
And it won’t let her go, to bring her back in from the cold
The need for fun and good times is the struggle she can’t win
And though I’ve tried to talk to her, she goes right back again

To losers, drunks, and worthless men who know not of her need
The need to find life’s one true love, the urge to first succeed
Succeed in loving one’s own self before your love you share
Then share it with the ones who count; the ones who need her there

Then take upon herself to share the love that’s found within
And feel the warmth and gratitude that does come rushing in
When she decides that she’s worth more than a night or two of fun
Then she can say that her new life has surely just begun

I often visualize that day when I will see her smile
And know with all that she’s been through, it’s more than just worthwhile
To see her light, I know is there, come out and shine straight through
I’ll see the girl I once knew well, still beautiful and true

©Lacy Gray, Author
Published June 1, 1995
Jeffersonville Evening News
Jeffersonville, Indiana