One was
the teacher, the master, the father,
while the other was
the student, the apprentice, the son.
Sometimes it was hard to tell
who was what;
often they
reversed roles.
Their relationship was
complicated, like the
covalent bonds that
connected the chemical
compounds they cooked
for criminal cash.
These two were not
"drug lords".
Although they handled drugs,
they were not lords,
but mere subjects of
an even greater,
more evil criminal
kingpin; a boss
who was willing
to slice their throats
with a box-cutter,
just to prove a point.
It was then
that they realized
that things stopped
getting good,
and everything started
breaking bad.
They had dug
themselves their own graves,
and they were in so deep
that the only way out
was to dig themselves
even deeper,
until they came out the other side,
as better people,
or as better versions
of their worst selves.
*Inspired by the television series Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan.
The Ballad of Walt and Jesse
