We lived for the
next drink; the elixir to
erase the memories of
a thousand cruel dawns.
It took work when we
were broken and bedraggled.
Creativity and thirst drove
us through the day.
"Do you have anything to pawn?"
"Hey, why don't we stop by the
old carnival guy's place, he's
always good for a belt."
"Big Brenda will you give you a
10 spot to go down on her,
are you
up for it?"
The shit we did to stay liquid smooth.
We redeemed cans for nickels, It took
hundreds to get a bottle.
In and out of dumpsters filled with
the most vile trash imaginable.
Me and those aluminum cowboys,
knee-deep in the filth just to
get a drink.
Winter was bad, frostbitten hands and
hearts, but summer was worse.
Something about the way the sun
cooked the trash had a hellish putrid
effect on the soul.
That smell was the seed of my
sobriety.
-
Author:
Thomas W Case (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: August 12th, 2025 09:55
- Comment from author about the poem: My books, Seedy Town Blues Collected Poems, It's Just a Hop, Skip, and a Jump to the Madhouse and Sleep Always Calls are available on Amazon. www.thomaswcase.com
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 23
- Users favorite of this poem: Teddy.15, Tristan Robert Lange
Offline)
Comments5
Grit and grime distilled in slime fill the mind in a poem sublime. Loved it Thomas
Thank you, my friend.
Most welcome Thomas
Soren...your comment rocks, my friend. I concur!
Raw,honest of the levels you go to in search of that drink, nicely expressed
Thanks
You are very welcome
Sobering is the imagery and smell, as ever superbly created piece of poetry, hey at least you can't say your life has ever been boring, and I believe the skies never give us what we can't handle ❤️
Thank you, sweet Teddy.
Thomas, this is a raw, lived-in honesty that doesn’t flinch or tidy the edges. You let the grit and the reek stay on the page, so the reader feels every frostbitten hand, every sour-sunned breath. “Aluminum cowboys” is such a killer image...tragic and mythic all at once. And that last line…man, it lands like the match that burned the bridge. Beautiful job! 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Thanks, my friend.
Last line says a lot. Good one.
Thank you.
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