Winter Solstice, 2014


Nothing wrong with a little tobacco
if used properly,
the lie I tell myself.
A touch of the poppy
now and then.
Red wine is good for you.
Have a glass with your evening meal.
Some people can do that:
the fit and trim,
sophisticated connoisseurs.
What a world of difference
between them and the winos
beneath the overpass
who prefer fortified wine
for the alcohol content.

And where do I fit into the equation,
with my bottle of Russian Imperial Stout
and fifth of tequila?
I won't stop at one beer,
that's for sure.
I won't take two Vicodin
and call it a night.

I'm floating somewhere between
the junkie, the wino and the well published poet.
That's my reality tonight,
with a lower right molar
that probably needs a root canal,
my twenty year
addiction to opiates.