further by definition and distance.
 
 New boyfriends, one definite
 
 but distracted,
 
 and no shortage of Avenue wannabes.
 
 Siblings, one too close and curious,
 
 the other much
 
 too far away to serve as confidant.
 
 Parents, ever-present shade, dimming
 
 my sparkle,
 
 kryptonite to quell my bid for superpower.
 
 Teachers, counselors, preachers,
 
 scaffolding,
 
 crumbled by the weight of my monster.
 
 Problem Number Three: Connections
 
 How to get high
 
 and stay that way?
 
 (Coming down was a bitch and a half.)
 
 Finding crank
 
 wasn’t really difficult.
 
 Most of my new crowd knew
 
 someone who dealt
 
 (or knew someone who
 
 knew someone who did).
 
 Getting what you paid for
 
 proved more problematic, unless
 
 you went straight to the source.
 
 Even then, things were iffy.
 
 (Stoners aren’t the most reliable people.
 
 Even they would have to agree.)
 
 Fronting years of hoarded