VERSIFIED INTOXICATION / John Grey

 

VERSIFIED INTOXICATION

 

I sit at my desk

like I’m up at the bar,

disheveled. torpid,

like I’ve a had a few subjunctives,

metaphors and eye-rhymes

too many.

 

And there’s not even

a bar-tender

to tell my troubles to.

Just a computer screen

and it is my trouble.

 

I admit it, ok.

I can’t stay away.

My name is John

and I’m a poet.

I’ve been clean now

since…since…

since I finished up

that last poem

five minutes ago.

 

There’s no I can call

 to talk me out of this,

encourage me to

go for a walk,

or grab a book

and head out to

the local coffee shop,

or, at the very least,

try working in prose

for a while.

 

The fact is,

“Nobody loves a poet.”

We lack self-discipline.

We can’t handle our words.

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