Twenty years ago I had no hope,
entombed in addiction, frail of body,
devoid of friendship, spiritually bankrupt,
an old man at the end of my rope
at forty.
Today I live hope, radiate possibility,
have not yielded to my addiction in years.
My body runs races, my friends circle the globe,
my spirit soars to serenity, to exultation, to glory
unimaginable those long years ago.
I’m glad I can offer a life-saving rope
to those old men who I used to be.
