In the poem “Freddie” by Patrick Rosal, the narrator tells an account of his childhood companion named Freddie, who was proficient at break dancing. After some time, “Freddie disappeared then returned one day as someone else’s ghost smoked out on crack” (Rosal, 19-20). In merely two lines, Rosal informs the reader that Freddie vanishes and returns in a terrible condition. This conveys how rapidly Freddie deteriorated and how helpless the narrator felt that he could not help his friend, who now seems more like a stranger. The narrator states that Freddie practiced a dance move called a suicide constantly “until he got it right” (Rosal, 29). Although the use of this term began as literal, the vague mention at the end means that Freddie actually committed suicide at the end of the poem, while the narrator,who could not stop Freddie only “stood around and watched” (Rosal, 26). Freddie’s unfortunate drug use and death was foreshadowed earlier in the poem, when one of his dance moves is described as being like the “crucified Jesus he knocked down” (Rosal, 12-13). The figurative language used conveys that although they were on a lesser scale, Freddie had begun showing signs of rebellion unnoticed by the narrator that would ultimately lead up to his death.