Amarah's Corner: Amarah shares special column from 2017

Hi! My name is Amarah. Kids are important to me, and they’re important to Jesus, too.

Jesus said in Matthew 25:40 (KJV), “Whatever you’ve done unto the least of these (kids), you’ve done it unto me.”

“Kids like me” are kids and adults of all ages whose parents are, or were, drug addicts, and alcoholics; kids who have suffered, or who are suffering, abuse and neglect on multiple levels; and kids who are victims of bullying.

Hey, kids like me! We were able to help at least 130 kids here in the SLV have a better Christmas this year with our toy/food/warm clothing drive and we are very grateful for the opportunity. With all of my heart, I want to thank Erwin Young, Dr. Barbara Troy, Mrs. Rosalie Martinez, Miss Pat, Lynne Young, Delia, Todd and Linda, Jeff, and everyone who helped me this year! I couldn’t have done it without you!

Today’s column is the last one for the year, 2017, and I want to re-share a special column that spoke volumes to me from July of this year:

Mom Shares Late Daughter’s Poem about Heroin Addiction
A parent’s worst nightmare became a reality for Brian and Bridget Farrell when their 23-year-old daughter, Delaney, overdosed from heroin and died recently, 7/1/17. She knew what her monster was, said Brian in a Facebook video that now has more than 11,000 views. She knew she was battling it.

Delaney lost the battle on Saturday. She was found by Williamsport, Pennsylvania, police at a Red Roof Inn where she had previously been employed. Although Delaney has died, she left behind a powerful poem that has struck a chord with many. The poem, which expresses what it’s like to struggle with heroin addiction, was included by her mother in her obituary (whose online version had crashed from a surge of traffic on Friday) after she found it in her daughter’s journal.

Here is the complete poem written by Delaney:

Funny, I don’t remember no good dope days.
I remember walking for miles in a dope fiend haze.
I remember sleeping in houses that had
no electric.
I remember being called a junkie, but I
couldn’t accept it.
I remember hanging out in abandos that
were empty and dark.
I remember shooting up in the bathroom
and falling out at the park.
I remember nodding out in front of
my sisters kid.
I remember not remembering half
the things that I did.
I remember the dope man’s time
frame, just ten more minutes.
I remember those days being so sick
I just wanted to end it.
I remember the birthdays and holiday
celebrations
All the things I missed during my
incarceration.
I remember overdosing on my bedroom
floor.
I remember my sisters cry and my
dad breaking down the door.
I remember the look on his face when I
opened my eyes, thinking today was the day
that his baby had died.
I remember blaming myself when my mom
decided to leave.
I remember the guilt I felt in my chest making
it hard to breathe.
I remember caring so much but not knowing
how to show it and I know to this day
she probably don’t even know it.
I remember feeling like I lost all hope.
I remember giving up my body for the next
bag of dope.
I remember only causing pain, destruction
and harm.
I remember the track marks the needles
left on my arm.
I remember watching the slow break up of
my home.
I remember thinking my family would be
better off if I just left them alone.
I remember looking in the mirror at my
sickly complexion.
I remember not recognizing myself in my
own Damn reflection.
I remember constantly obsessing over my
next score but what
I remember most is getting down on my
knees and asking God to save me cuz I don’t
want to do this no more!!!

Arboleda, C. (2017). Mom shares late daughter’s poem about heroin addiction. https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/momshares-late-daughters-poem-heroin-addiction-210729832.html

Pray to God to save our kids and parents from Delaney’s fate.

Thank you, for reading my column. Write to me at Amarah’s “Kids Like Me” P.O. Box 354, Alamosa, CO 81101. If you know a kid like me, or parent, who is an addict/alcoholic, please tell him or her about “Amarah’s Corner, Kids Like Me” in the Valley Courier. Tell them to contact me, or you can contact me on their behalf. If you know a kid like me, or parent, who doesn’t have a Bible, but wants one, please, contact me. I’ll make sure he or she gets a Bible, “…and all the earth may know there is a God…” (1 Samuel 17:46, KJV).

My goal is to help kids like me, and I want to help their parents, too. Until next time, remember, Jesus Loves You, and JESUS IS LORD!