O God, I ask Your help Divine
Whenever I must go online.
I tell myself that I love art,
Their sculpted forms; my heavy heart.

As I get lost in cyberspace
And go from face to nameless face,
Beyond each image, there’s a life…
There’s someone’s husband, someone’s wife.

Perhaps a son or daughter, too
God, if their families only knew!
As I’m drawn in to surf the net,
It’s all too easy to forget.

The way my actions take their toll.
They slowly work to kill my soul.
Its essence surely must erode
With every image I download.

Please rescue me from what I do.
Please help me want to stop it, too.
Obsession lifted, I’ll stand free
Surrendering my will to Thee.

[written in thanksgiving to God for one year of sobriety — June 2, 2004]