my first introduction to piracy
as a young lad
was that my father drank grog
one shot of old crow
a couple more splashes
of lukewarm tap water
always on the rocks
swirled around once
and downed in a single swallow
i wonder if he drank
when i wasn’t around
but didn’t know how to ask
and really, how do you
ask your father if you’re the
reason he drinks?
and i haven’t seen
or heard from my father
since i was 18
but i know he stopped drinking
when i was 7
and i wonder who it was for
selfishly, of course
i’d like to think it was for me
but i know better now
and it may not be his fault he didn’t
know how to be a proper father
but it hurts just the same