Looking
in the eyes of The Poppy Man
The Poppy Man came to visit, bringing with him a
bouquet of Poppies and a promise of enlightenment, warm feelings and better
times to come.
A promise that once encountered would unknowingly
change the lives, minds and souls of those enticed forever.
The Poppy Man came to visit, offering a free Poppy,
with its sweet smelling aroma to anyone foolish enough to look him in the eyes.
The Poppy Man came to visit, entering our lives,
drawing those that he encountered in close; close enough to catch a breath of
his sweet smelling Poppies.
A breath that the Poppy Man promised would bring
such wonderful things as euphoria and enlightenment from all their daily toils
and troubles.
But along with his sweet smelling breath came a
mind numbing presence, a presence that reached down into their very souls and
fixed them in his addictive gaze.
The Poppy Man came to visit, entering our lives,
enticing those whose souls he had touched and fixed in his addictive gaze, to
invite their brothers, sisters and friends to come for a visit.
A visit encouraged by camaraderie and friendship
but veiling the true consequences of a meeting with The Poppy Man.
The Poppy Man came to visit, and his Poppy People
were waiting to greet him, craving another free Poppy.
But this time there was no offer of a free Poppy,
just a price list and a phone number of all The Poppy Sellers in the area.
As the cravings for another Poppy grew, the Poppy
People started using up all their wages and savings, until the cravings for
another Poppy grew so large that finding the funding for another Poppy became
their sole purpose in life.
The Poppy People became so totally fixated on
finding the funds for another visit to the Poppy Sellers, that there
appearances changed and they lost their dignity and jobs.
The Poppy Man came to visit, suggesting to the
Poppy People ways to fund their Poppy cravings.
Leaving it up to the individual Poppy Seller’s to
decide whether the Poppy People could fund there Poppy cravings with cash or by
other means and goods.
This is when the families of the Poppy People
started finding that their own money and property had gone missing.
The Poppy Man came to visit, and all our lives were
changed forever.
For it was not just the Poppy People whose lives
were changed forever, but those of the close family members and friends, who
did not get enticed by The Poppy Man’s offer of a free Poppy.
The Parents tried to understand what was happening,
but things got totally out of hand so fast, that they were totally bewildered
and beyond all reasonable comprehension of what was happening to them and their
loved ones.
Some Parents tried to understand the workings of
the Poppy Man, but more often than not, the Parents, not being able to cope
with the shame of what was happening to them and their families, just threw out
their loved ones and buried their heads in the sand.
The Parents and friends feared they had totally
lost their loved ones to the Poppy Man forever.
Those Poppy People that were lucky enough to be
arrested and put out of the reach of the Poppy Man’s gaze, were offered
treatment and a way out, but for many of the Poppy People the Poppy Man’s gaze
was just too strong.
The Poppy Man came to visit, killing many poor
Poppy People, before they could receive the much needed help and treatment for
their mental states of mind and addictions.
Also killing many poor Poppy People outright; if
not at their first gaze, then normally at a revisit to the Poppy Man after
finding the urge of his gaze to overwhelmingly strong.
Death finally releasing the poor Poppy People’s
soul’s from the gaze of the Poppy Man and his Poppy Sellers.
Once the Poppy Man and his Poppy Sellers had
visited on The Parents and their loved ones,
Many Parents found that after enduring losing their
whole lives, including their dignity, friends and loved ones.
That they finally did have the courage, resolve and
inner strength, found deep down in their very soul’s, to fight back at the
Poppy Man, wrestling their loved ones from his gaze.
But the fear of another visit from the Poppy Man
and his Poppy Sellers will never go away and will always be present.
For the Poppy Man walks by every day, looking in
through their windows, trying to re-fix his gaze on their loved ones and their
saved souls.
The Poppy Man came to visit, but now there is no
one here willing to take a free Poppy.
By Kevin John Stares
