Caught between the narrows
bordering light and dark
she fights the demon of temptation,
holding her shield of motherhood,
emblazoned with her son’s photograph,
a reminder of the purpose
of the battle.

Yet the darkness nearly
overwhelms as the tentacles
of addiction reach into her
body, obscuring her heart
with their spiny points of need.
Their constant clamoring
obliterates his calls for
attention and protection.

The Knight of the Devil Dust,
carrying his white cross,
does not easily surrender.
He rolls across her soul
with swiftness and vengeance,
promising euphoria
but delivering only
a wasting, half-life.

Fallacious friends seek her
in need of sharing their dismal
existence, unable to face their own
failures and shortcomings. Blinded
to the poverty of their souls,
she is caught in their deceit,
searching for the false safety
of their promises.

The seed of her true self
awaits in the darkness, secretly
reaching through the narrows,
hoping for the touch of light.
Her son’s cries of “Mommy”
secure sustenance for the seed’s
struggling existence. Her family’s
prayers offer hope.

The war may never end –
The outcome rests within her hands.