He Drank

(for J. Berryman)

​​

He drank

He drank in the morning, he drank at night

He drank on weekends, an unholy sight.

​

He drank to celebrate, he drank to mourn

He drank to forget himself and the day he was born

He drank before he was married, and after his divorce

He drank to life, and death, to God and the sadness of it all.

​

And when it was time to stop, he had one more — to atone

And then dropped like a stone to the river alone.