Student-members at Integrity House have a multitude of talents - some we are lucky enough to experience. Members in Secaucus recently wrote poetry about their path to Integrity House to share with the Integrity family and friends.

Emotional Disturbance by Dafeon S.

Turbulence has caused my emotional plane to fall crashing into the buildings of pain
The windows of my soul have been fogged from the rain
I thought this flight would’ve been a little simpler
but this EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE has caused a strain on my mental.
FALLING!
Falling, Falling, Falling, the parachutes I grab are torn I should’ve never gotten on this plane to begin with
I was warned but the runway seemed clear the sun shined and there were no clouds in the sky until I was heavenly bound then came the storm it’s cold now no longer warm.
FALLING!
The plane’s torso’s losing pressure my nerves are falling it’s getting dark and now the plane and I are falling together GOD please help me it’s urgent please rescue me from this EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE. (UGH)
LOVE, GET OFF ME!

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Follow the Bricks, Not The Rocks

Truth and the County Bam Bam Blues

By David H. Kerr – November 16, 2011

Son, come into my office and let’s talk. My name is Street Sam; they call me the Bam Bam man. I’m here to listen to what you got to say. No bullshit now hear?…Let’s keep it real.

Now most people spin me a tale that is nearly poetic don’t you know, but it usually lacks a little authenticity since it is mostly fabrication. Now I know that you will tell me the truth so then you won’t have to be sent to the County ‘Bam Bam’. Understand?

Well I’m listen’,…. yeh I hear you…. Tell it all and get it out. You may even feel better son. ….That’s nice. Are you finished yet? Oh good.

Now let me just clarify: You’ve been clean and sober for the last month but you just experienced a major trauma; that was what? You got locked into the trunk of your old hoopdee and you had to do some dope to get over the pain because your…what?? You’re like Santa Clause of phobic. Say what?…his last name? Oh you mean you’re claustrophobic? Oh, I get it and this all happened just before you dropped a urine that was positive? How’d you get out of the trunk?…. You rocked the car and it rolled back and hit a tree and the trunk popped open? And then you say what? You had to keep using dope since your urine would be positive anyway? My, my, my.

Well here’s the good news, you can spin it but let me ask you this, how does that story work when you want to buy some dope? Your dealer buyn’ it? Naw…I didn’t think so.

So I’m here to welcome you to the Integrity Family where there are many here like you with even better BS stories. You’ll find friends here who have been where you are and are tired and sick. They won’t have much interest in that BS that you’ve been runnin’, gettin’ dope, goin’ to jail, spinning lies and doin’ life on the installment plan.

But when they hear the truth from you, they will hold you close with tears in their eyes because they’ve had their over-dose.

They’ve walked the path that you have chosen, Goin’ no-where, their lives are frozen, Into the granite of the bricks Tossed and torn like mindless sticks.

While we pass no judgement here, we do require truth, We show our love and show we care But we require that all is fare.

You alone but with your higher power, With the help of your family, every hour You will learn and take your knocks Follow the bricks, not the rocks.