Friday, September 07, 2007

Poem: Three Views of an Alcoholic

Three Views of an Alcoholic

1.

I don’t drink that much

I’m okay if I don’t start before noon

otherwise the day is gone

I know I slur words

feel normal until I stand

sneak drinks when she’s shopping

at night when she’s asleep

worried about getting caught

but not worried enough to stop

2.

Our son is a drunk

where did we go wrong

he was always a happy child

seemed on track in school

then he dropped out

started drifting through life

eyes always bloodshot

couldn’t get him on the phone

we failed him

3.

Dad’s pissed most of the time

I tried talking, yelling, crying

when he’s drinking he’s not there

says stupid things thinks they’re funny

you can always see it in his eyes

the visine and mouthwash fool no one

we all kept up the lie

I needed him

I’ll never forgive him

Victor Schwartzman

victors@mts.net

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