Inspired by the sonnet format, readapted/narrative poem by Alice Bellan
The Opioid Epidemic: Part 1
Once upon a time, there lived three brothers
Arthur, Raymond, and Mortimer Sackler
their name would grow to be like no other
unforeseen were the lives they would fracture
Arthur worked hard to become a doctor
a psychiatrist, a collector of art
salesman at heart and clever concocter
who fought for the Sacklers to stand apart
he devised sales projects for big pharma,
sold Valium as ‘mother’s little helper’
head of the infamous Purdue Pharma
his company’s wealth became its shelter
now let us not forget Morty and Ray
stood in the shadow, but there nonetheless
Ray’s son Richard was a devil at play
never satisfied with his own success
Oxycontin was his small yellow pill
none predicted how many it would kill
The Opioid Epidemic: Part 2
Richard was soft spoken and monotone
his father’s son, a feigned philanthropist
amassing bodies beneath his throne
posing as an anti-pain activist
the FDA label: less addictive
people popped pills for headaches and back pain
blind at first to the pain it inflicted
Oxycontin was rewiring the brain
tolerance became known to suppliers –
– Purdue upped the dose to triple digits
misuse and abuse spread like wildfires
some saw this and chose to be litigious
attorney Blumenthal filed a lawsuit
the lies unsurfaced were the beginning
others followed him in Purdue’s pursuit
fought together and ended up winning
what seemed at first Sackler dedication
concealed schemes and acts of devastation