r.n. DEAN

Percocet

you’ve been
freezing
forever

hypothermic;

terminal burrowing
in your
bedroom

and then

everything
stops.

the static
gets quiet,

a warmth
overtakes
what’s
left of your
body

beautiful
bilateral
symmetrical
butterflies
spawn
in your
belly

idealized
perfection.

and in
that quiet,

in that
perfect,
manufactured
calm,

you forget
there was ever
a person
beneath
the chemistry.


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.