Poetry Friday - Waking Up Naked

In "Waking Up Naked", a second heartfelt and moving poem from Michael Lee, we learn more about Lee's personal history of alcoholism‬, ranging from the humorous and seemingly harmless memories to those that are darker and more dangerous. Lee's poem also touches on the impact his drinking had on his family, and what it feels like to be sober now. As Lee has shared with his followers in the past "I need to continue to write about addiction and insanity not because those things are hugely present in my life any longer, but specifically because they are not. I seek to understand my past in as many ways as can, so I never have to return to it, or so it does not return to me".

Most especially, Lee's poem is a powerful reminder to be mindful of those who are overcoming addiction‬, and more conscientious before we label those who are fighting to maintain sobriety as "weak" or "lame".

"Don't you dare call me weak
I have swallowed more pints of regret than you pump blood through your body.

Tell my father it was boring
to look his only son in the eyes
and tell him if he drank one more time
you would not be welcomed in this house.

Tell my mother I am weak
She failed to hold back tears, driving me home from the psych ward
She would see her son handcuffed to an emergency room bed
She spent four years praying for my sobriety nightly
You will not take this from her."