Once a fool in folly\'s sway, I strolled astray,
Substance and spirits, my chosen way,
Lost in vices, blind and cruel,
I found pleasure in playing the fool.
Matured and wise, I tread anew,
Leaving behind the intoxicating brew.
Curiosity and inspiration, my new friends,
As down sobriety\'s road, around its bends, I wend.
That intoxicated fool was but not me,
A shell of a person, lost at sea.
Like a phoenix from the ashes of my past,
I rise above, free at last.
In wisdom\'s garden, the former fool found pace,
Unmasked the fear, embraced a new face.
No longer a puppet to past\'s toxic wine,
I live, I learn, in the present, I\'m just fine.
Remembering the past, not with guilt or regret,
But as lessons learned, I\'ll never forget.
Once a fool, I may have been,
But now, a wiser soul, you\'ve seen.
© Susie Stiles-Wolf