I winced as the old fashioned
fell from the glass to my throat.

A river of drink carving its way though my
teeth, unfolding its sails on its boat.

The hatred of the taste overridden
by the aching need to cope.

The elixir produces a heat inside
creating a haze inside my mind.

I have slowly begun to crave this escape
waiting till I hold that precious potion in my grasp.

Please whiskey and rye bring me happiness,
for I cannot take much more sadness.

This drink brought me comfort I have only felt
within my mothers arms.

I grow and evolve in this bar, warm and humid
like the womb I had escaped oh so many years ago.

But as I evolve so does my dependence on this drink
crafted with care, poured so slow.

I watched in my drunken haze as my bartender becomes
my personal warden.

I am serving time within the walls of this bar.
A means for escape has evolved into imprisonment.

I would have never guessed that this drink
would take control of me.

[DK]