Your sharp-shootin style and heartfelt warmth shine through as usual in equal measures here, Sue. I love the way your writes are never judgmental, though they honestly seek to assess tragic and often difficult situations, but they ARE brilliantly observed and noted. We all have our achilles heel of addictions - visible and invisible - or "weaknesses" perhaps we prefer to call them. Some end up as habitual prisoners of some institution or another - whether it be the slammer or psychiatric hospital or even The Bar... each to his own "drug" of choice - or inevitability. Spot-on write as usual. TY Kate xx

"Some rob you with a six-gun, some with a fountain pen." - Woody Guthrie

Some things never change. Including our hope that they will.

super Sue, I should send this to my no good nephews, timing

You've penned this fact of life, well. Too many of us want too much, too often, too soon ... for free! Strong write, well done.

It is unfortunate that some young gravittate to this type of lifestyle at such and early age, sometimes they find the road eventually lets hope JOHN is one of those.

Felix

And we all know
There’s no such thing as a free lunch

There truly is not.

It's nice, and sometimes difficult, to learn to live without freebies. Are we helping the birds when then feed them during the summer? Or are we making them too dependent on us? Who knows?

Hank

Really a sad one Sue!!

Love Tinka

You called it so right, Sue. Prison IS like a home to many there and when they get out they flounder because the structutre is not there to guide him. he is all alone, sink or swim. No one to give him clothes, cook his meals, make the rules inflexible so that they know if they challenge them, they will lose. So recidivisism is his only recourse. Some find this very hard to understand,, but take it from someone that knows, that's the way it is for many.

Sue, trying to gain everythisng too quickly has its price to pay. Excellent poem though written with some saddness

Ditto what Eileen already said. I send a big hug, because I know this was tough to write.

Sue this is so sad, and so deeply felt by the author,
I can feel it too!Superb!

Eileen