13 poems was written during the event of a toxic dwindling relationship in which I felt verbally and emotionally abused. During this time I relapsed on drugs and struggled with alcohol while trying to maintain an active work ethic and healthy presence in my child's life. Paradoxical. Oxymoronic. Two poles pulling me apart, as is my standard cognitive performance; a maelstrom. Inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe, this is poetry pulling my mind apart in different directions. Family, spirituality, and introspection. Jaushua Ray