Club 400 Poem by Lawerence Mize, Sr.

Know how it feels
To be alone
To suffer in silence
In a chaotic home
My parents would drink
Whiskey and rum
Let the alcohol pour
over their gums
I never had
The things I'd need
Went without
But they could never see
They spent their time
Chasing the next drink
Never thought to stop
Never bothered to think
Never saw
The hurt in my eyes
Never heard
The times I'd cry
I used to think
It was all my fault
A kid in the way
Right from the start
I'd wake each day
To see a bottle of booze
Old Club 400
The same tired news
The day would end
The way it began
If I knew where to go
I would have ran
Time's moved on
Parents in the grave
I carried on
Somehow saved
Got a good life
Family and friends
Some haven't a clue
As to where I've been
I see others going
Through the same kind of pain
Lost in the sickness
With nothing to gain
I want them to know
They can persevere
Keep looking to tomorrow
A new day without fear