The Beast – A Poem by David Ritter

The Beast

My toxic life was full of woe
A tangled web to say the least
And all my problems continued to grow
With the need to feed the Beast

To quench his thirst the Monster needed
The liquid fire called alcohol
No matter how much I gave or pleaded
He never was fulfilled at all

I tried to drown this ugly thing
And prayed it would go away
A brief relief my prayers would bring
But he came back to me each day

This hungry Beast would not give in
Relentless in his fight
Each drink led to more and more sin
As he hounded me day and night

I always tried to run away
But he continued to follow me
On bended knee each day I’d pray
From this torment to be free

Others joined me in this bout
Through friendship and with love
But their hope soon turned to doubt
When they saw what he was made of

Then one day amidst all my strife
I shuddered frozen with fear
For the Beast that was ruining my life
Was staring back at me in the mirror

I decided to change right then and there
When I bowed my head to pray
Jesus held me with such tender care
When He subdued the Beast that day

— David Ritter