i remember fondly

the piquant taste of scotch

the spirit of my yesteryear

now haunting my dreams

 

rich to the tongue

poor to the throat

saviour of our marriage

destroyer of our love

 

the bottles beating heart

like a metronomic diary

of my downfall

 

but see how i rise

from ashes and anonymity

to stake my claim

as husband, father

a smokeless phoenix

a single malt

a blend of man and manners.