-on a local beer at a local pub, or
another good reason to speak out as a poet

An angel in an apron offered me a drink.
"Here comes Eternal Youth," she said,
"it is meant to make you think."

     While I drank, the world billowed like a sail.
     Time went crazy, bladders appeared,
     the world's front peeled off like a veil.

Heroes and gods alike were humbled.
Their faces aged, their bones crumbled,
the wind swept away what remained of them.

     With them they took the light.
     I stumbled in pitch black darkness
     and man, from the deep I cried.

And then, suddenly, I knew:
my voice, that's me, I'm here!
I'm not too young to interfere!

     I shouted and pushed up the curtain,
     reflected light cut through the dark:
     the waving sea, time to embark!

My angel again was in her counsellor's role.
"Now sail in song forever," she spoke,
"raise your voice, save your soul!"

     I peered into the golden waves...
     and found it was this magic potion,
     that turned and turned in its majestic motion.

There is truth in wine but there's soul in beer;
and when it sends you spinning, sing, sing!
sing, so all the world can hear!

Weekday drinking
With you
It's stupid
But we do so many stupid things together
So this can't be that bad
Weekday drinking
I don't see you everyday
Anymore
I miss you in the weekends
So we bring the weekend to us
Just a little earlier
Weekday drinking*
Something I only wanna do with you
You and I
I love you infinity

I feel like I'm going insane
My mind is derranged,
Im lost and on-edge
Cant relax, no not even in bed,
Im miserable and depressed
I get so emotional i could be mistaken as possessed,      
By the devil
A kamikaze-driven rebel,
Im uptight and reserved
My mind is the opposite of perserved,
Overrun and overdriven        
Exhausted and be-riddled,
Im ruining relationships
Self ******* sabotaging ****,
Close to losing it all
Hit rock bottom... but still, i have room to fall,
Further down the rabbit hole
Into the abyss
Of complete nothingness.

The first glass was smiles,
He’d tell us that he loved us
Or that we made him proud
Warm glow from the fire reflected the sloshing contents of his drink on the walls
A blurred dance of celestial lines and shapes.
We took in his light like the inhale of a breath,
Feeling so glad to have earned his praises.

Fifth glass was slurred words
Crawling from the corners of his mouth like a rat escaping a sewer,
The smiles were gone.
We stood still with anxious ticks unfolding before us
Afraid of what would happen if we were to speak
The fire was fading, the dance nearing an end

Glass eight brought anger
Shouts spiraled from his chest, a tornado that we couldn’t cross
Words flew by us,
Glasses flew by us,
Fists flew by us.
Too scared to move, our backs pressed against the wall
We tried our best to disappear
I closed my eyes and held my hands together hoping that the small amount of pressure would be enough to make him lay his hands on someone else that night

Twelfth glass brought sleep.
With his body still we could move again,
His neck crooked to the side, an empty glass in his hand.
No liquid left to reflect.
A sleeping serpent laying in the center of his destruction
Broken glasses and thrown picture frames at his feet,
It became hard to believe he had caused this a moment ago

Now seven years later I find myself at a party
The bass so loud I could feel my body shake,
Red cup in my hand, liquid sloshing with familiarity
Without a pause I am drinking one glass,
Then two,
Then three,
I wonder how I let myself become the thing I fear most like a reverse metamorphosis into my childhood,
And now when I look in the mirror I don’t see me,
I’m stuck looking into his lifeless eyes
And I don’t know how I can change this,
How can I run when the monster resides inside of me?
I don’t know how I can separate myself from him when every time I see a drink I hear my mother’s scream
Blurred images of memory and reality surround me and I am once again too afraid to move
Back pressed against the wall, hands pressed together.
I am my childhood nightmares,
Completing the cycle and making ends meet
Once again I am back in that trailer and I wonder if I ever left

I moved emphatically toward the cabinet,
opened the door and removed the bottle.
My eyes took in the details, the summer home
the trees naked in winter, the view awesome.

Solid black, with golden embellishments
opened the top and poured three fingers
a couple of ice cubes, and a wedge of lime
Sat down in my chair, to enjoy, the drink

Silence surrounds me as the heat burns
down my throat and sets my mind at ease
two swallows, the glass is empty
not half full or half empty, dry

Back for a refill, and another lime
the tartness puckers my lips
I smell the glass this time
enjoying the varied notes

Warm sea air, and baked bread
with the toasted nuts at the end.
I swallow once again, not to **** pain
but to feel thoroughly alive and well

Finished again, another fill
skip the ice, and the lime
cheeks beginning to numb
and thoughts crystallize.

Liquid amber flows down my throat,
my body warms throughout
as it flows from my glass
igniting pain and flavor

Caramel and vanilla
tickle my tongue
a slight taste of cookie remains
deep and rich enjoyment

Thoughts are washed away
in a golden wave
as the cheeks and inhibitions numb
I raise my glass and wish you well

A new bottle for a new day
opened, spicy citrus
and new mown grass
fill my nose

Pouring and swirling
my mouth waters
a dip of my tongue
explore the sensations

Butterscotch and shortbread
explode in my mouth
taste buds analyze complexities
herbs and honey, and a bit of malt

Evening relaxation
leads to excellent dreams
of love, lust, romance
in the flavors of nature

Meet me at 6 by the table of stone
I've got 24 beers that I can't drink alone
Catch the sunset with me while we share a cigarette
Exchange some loving words that we'll soon forget
Mosquitos and bumblebees all over the place
Wipe off the drunken tears from your face
You've only loved him for a month, you'll get over him soon
You'll be loving someone else by tomorrow afternoon
Enjoy this night with me before we get too old
And all that is left is a story to be told
Ah, sweet youth, you went away too fast
Even though you were ******, we always had a blast
Rest in peace, teenage me, I kind of miss you
But to be honest I'm also glad that we're through

I don't want to drink again
No, not from those lips
That tiny bottle of pending doom with little tiny labels marked warning.
Under the table, grabbing walls
Compensation for the shot glass full of stained breath
There is no amount of emotional comfort that doesn't lead to physical contact.
My lips; your essence
There isn't a support group that can teach that
The urge to resist the glare of the bottle
Simple steps that lead to complete disaster
The calling of your name
The way you splash against my lips.
I don't want to drink again
My bad habit
My secret craving
A distinct hint that I need you again.
Where's pride in this infatuation
The need to have you again
This uncontrollable substance
Marked with warning labels
Bottled emotion that seeps at anytime.
The need of not caring who's around.
Again, pride where are you