Ray Andrews - Drunks

Angered at a fellow worker
He leaves work early. At the bar, he
has a pitcher of beer. You done me wrong music.
Cigarettes. Carpets of stale beer

Arriving home at dusk, he has five
Beers. His wife looks tense. House filthy.
He's angry, vomits in the bathroom
During dinner. Angrily, everyone hears.

That bitch- a shouting match; he leaves
Later wakes up in his car, hearing country
music from the bar's jukebox

What happened? The car smells of stale
beer-and damn! -he's wet himself
He goes home and passes out

In the early hours trembling.
He needs a drink
Screwdrivers, three, quickly.

In the morning, blood in his urine.
Three screwdrivers-not too easy to smell
They quell the fear, steady
The shaking. A shower, off to work

At work, quietly hating an ememy
And his unreasonable workload.
At noon a different liquor store-new clerks.
He buys plenty-not remembering what's in
Secret places at home

He goes straight home after work. They
Make up, clean up. Company. Drinkers, Friends. Friday.
Clean glasses, ice, ash trays. Stereo playing.
Maybe some dancing tonight

Perhaps he'll get his neighbor Shirley in bed.
Drinking soon after dinner.
Thereafter it's Monday morning. No memory
of the weekend. Blank. Sick.

He wonders whether the weekend was fun.

Ray Andrews

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/drunks/