his soul smells like the strongest substances
it reeks of shrooms and the lsd he was just given
weed and loneliness linger on his sweat-stained skin
his gums are white and damaged by the nic pouches
he hasn’t stopped buying from his friend
his teeth are stained from the vapes he goes through
sometimes in a single weekend
his hair is always greasy because he doesn’t wash it
he forgets and then gets distracted by whatever high he busies himself with chasing
smoke from the packs of cigs his brother buys him
stays in a cloud around his favorite jacket
pills rattle inside their bottles when he walks
his heart rattles inside his ribcage when he talks
my stomach lurches at the thought of losing him
in my head, he is already gone