for 6 years I’ve hidden
behind a long beard
but have always left
my dignity,
modesty,
endurance
and truth
out in the open for
everyone to see
and for 15 years
I’ve carried it with me
as I shuffle my converse shoes
down the sidewalks of profligacy.

why should I be the one who
gets tossed in the streets
for my belligerence when the
bartender is the one who over served?
I feel like I’m just getting started
amongst the empty souls filling
the empty seats and the glasses
of self pity in front of them as they
drain cup after cup into their hollow bodies

if you’re the drunkest one at the bar,
you’re at the wrong bar