People Have Questions

Thomas W Case



 

People ask me why I don't write
about the drunken nights anymore.
Why don't I write about
living on the streets,
the bars, the stupid decisions
made at two in the morning
when everybody thought
they would live forever?
Why don't I write about that?
Dilapidated motel rooms,
the cheap perfume,
the broken bottles on the floor.
What about the doggy-style lunacy
and waking the neighbors,
the women coming through the door
and leaving before the sun came up?
I do. They're still in there.
I can reach back
and pull one out whenever I want.
I've got enough old debauched nights
to keep me writing until I'm worm food.
But I walked through a new door.
That's all.
And the room I'm in now
has a different light.
There are mornings in here,
coffee, a golf course,
three cats,
a blank page at 7 a.m.
There are things I can hear now
that I couldn't hear when I was drunk,
like the voice of my creator,
like somebody else's pain.

Those old nights gave me plenty.
They gave me scars and burns,
stories, bad poems, good poems,
women I loved,
friends who died,
and enough wreckage
to build a pretty good vocabulary.
I don't regret them.
How could I?
They made me.
Every wild moon night
is still somewhere in me.
Every bottle, every bar,
every sunrise under a bridge
I wasn't supposed to see.
That's still fodder
if I want to go there.
But it's not my home anymore.
And maybe that's why
I write about it less.
Not because I've forgotten.
I just finally have
something else to write about.

  • Author: Thomas W Case (Pseudonym) (Offline Offline)
  • Published: September 22nd, 2026 07:27
  • Comment from author about the poem: All of my books are available on Amazon, and my latest, Searching for Nod, will be out in October: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-W.-Case/author/B0CL2RKDGX?ref=sr Here's a link to my YouTube channel where I post poetry readings and my attempts at golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pnBUXLjfeU
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 14
  • Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, isa kemmy, Syd
Comments +

Comments8

  • sorenbarrett

    A wonderful write of change and finding a new self. More polished than in the past more of what people call a normal life more peace and harmony a happier ending to a tumultuous life. People like action movies and fewer love stories. My love poems have shrunk since I started not because I don't feel them most people don't read them. I on the other hand am a sucker for a happy ending. Loved it Thomas

  • nephilim56 ( Norman Dickson)

    fine write my friend

  • isa kemmy

    Honestly i got touched am happy for the new you,May the Creator bless u

  • Syd

    I really enjoyed this write Thomas. Although I'm not yet completely sober myself, I'm definitely on the slippery slope to sobriety.

    - Syd 🍄

  • arqios

    Perhaps how we write about some things change over time as we grow and live through our seasons. A thought-provoking poem. 👍🏻🕊️

    • Thomas W Case

      Thank you.

      • arqios

        Welcome Thomas

      • Doggerel Dave

        The recursive nature of your work here, Thomas allows a depth presented which is very satisfying as it becomes a succinct appraisal of your life and ties it all together into a picture of security and serenity now.

      • Kevin Hulme

        Long may your Peaceful days Continue.
        A good Write as usual.

        • Thomas W Case

          Thanks, my friend.

          • Kevin Hulme

            My pleasure as always.

          • Alex Arnot

            So true, those things that used to be my muse ended up becoming obsolete in a way. Or at the very least take a back seat to what is going on in my life currently. Well done sir!



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