[Ashley Bowen]

Oh, wow! I'm not getting notified of responses to this. My apologies for the late responses to your crits.

Jan: Thanks so much for stopping in. I'm glad you found something to like in this.

Jim: Thank you. I wonder about the title as well. I'll keep thinking on it. I'm terrible at titles. I think the "you" might be cocaine herself, but I'm not sure, either.

Hilary: Thanks for reading and responding. You're right about the "curse and cure" line. I'm going to have to revisit that. Thanks!

Matt: Thanks for your useful suggestions. That "white-knuckled" line is problematic, and I'll have to attend to that in revision. Thanks for your generous read and comments.

Rob: Great thoughts on this! Much appreciated. I'll think on the "grin/thin" rhyme. Thanks so much!

[David Callin]

I think it's really good, Ashley. But I would have happily finished after the first eight lines. They seem so complete in themselves.

Cheers

David

[R. S. Gwynn]

I guessed at "eighths," then verified it. I hadn't heard the term, which gives authenticity to the poem. Overall, I think it's very successful. Sometimes I dream about relapsing, usually because I'd forgotten I was abstaining. It's very troubling.