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the man I love to hate

Friday 17th July 2009 2:06 pm

The man I love to hate

Constant he annoys
         And persistent I employ
            Patience
              To deal with the alcoholic
     standard issue
reply of denial
                      He can stop any day he likes
                his liver is as fit
                As a thousand pedal bikes
                          In unison
                                 so he says
                                           with His flushed face
                    The symptom of fitness
And not the bursting of arteries
I love to hate the drunken garble
                The dying sparkle of his 80s eyes
       invincible in youth
poor health is in the post
don’t turn your back on time
       body can only digest
a given quota
            a vodka lime bitter suite
the public house domain
   or propped up feet set on settee
        grew up together, stagger apart
we all had our reasons
to begin this dying art
              Strong bond
tests the tether we all wrapped
                 Around wrist
                     As it Strains under the pull and lecherous twist
                   of the alcohol
           I see you wilting
                  stupid moods
            I observe and analyse
I gleefully watch with the knowledge
                         Of my intact liver
             nice to see others fail
                this is not me
seems a strain of evil resides within us all

◄ on the outside

2 peas in a pod ►

Comments

Gus Jonsson

Sun 19th Jul 2009 10:44

Grief! Peter!!!

It's like looking in a mirror...

Constant he annoys
And persistent I employ
Patience
To deal with the alcoholic
standard issue
reply of denial
He can stop any day he likes.

Great piece Peter
P.S. Hope your ankle is improving.

Gus

Dave Bradley

Sat 18th Jul 2009 12:28

This could be Poem of the Month for me. We're in an epidemic of alcohol abuse and at the end of the day it comes down to tragic precious individual people and how bloody difficult it is to help them get off the booze. My reaction is maybe a bit hypocritical as I started drinking 10 months ago after 37 years TT (and am enjoying it!) but the raw honesty of the poem and especially the ending is, as Cynthia says, universal. And very powerful - it looks deep into the soul

Isobel

Sat 18th Jul 2009 00:38

It does indeed. Perhaps the man needs something worthy of giving up drink for - or that might be me being naive - WOL is the most serious addiction I've ever had. Old friendships are worth fighting for though.

Cynthia Buell Thomas

Fri 17th Jul 2009 16:41

Good one, Steve, very good. I like the universality of it ... could be a partner, father, brother ... an insightful social comment.

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