r.n. DEAN

XANAX ELEGY

a friend once

told me

that i lie

so much

i can’t even

be honest with myself

my father

once told me

if i wanted

people to stop

talking about me

then i should stop

doing things

that i am

ashamed of

but i just scuffled

and took their

money for benzos.

then forgot

i was ever in

their presence.


r.n. dean is a writer born into the poverty stricken area of southwest detroit. his work touches on his struggles with addiction, redemption through fatherhood and finding meaning in a world that is ultimately, meaningless. dean started writing in april in of 2025 and has since accumulated over 100 poems.