My Salvation

Just one more; that’s what I need
Another whiskey; Scotch on the rocks
My body is numb; my head floats above
I look down, at my shiny empty glass
I look back up, and there it is
That neat little bottle, so sophisticated!
I’m a fish in the ocean, but I bit the lure
It’s pulling me in, I’m caught, I’m hooked!
I take that bottle in my hand, I hold it so tight
One cube of ice, I drop in the glass
My shiny rocks glass, my salvation!
I tilt the bottle and pour it so slow
That sound!  The crackling of ice!
My soul fills with joy; I feel the glow
My heart beats with anticipation
My tongue yearns for the taste
Another glass of whiskey, another escape!

Why am I running?  My life is good!
Five kids and a wife, a beautiful wife!
A house in the suburbs, half-acre of land
The American dream!  I have it, I think
What more do I want, why do I drink?
I want the world!  There’s never enough
My soul is empty, my heart is a black hole
I am a consumer, my lust cannot be tamed
I am weak!  Earthly enticements clutch my soul
Can I ever be happy?  Can I be fulfilled?
I love my wife; I love my kids; I love my job
But do I really love?  What is love?
How—do I love?
I care, I know that I care.  Can I please them all?

I am a man who knew a life like few others
I was a soldier; I lived!
I loved my brothers in arms
The comradery, the thrill of the unknown
The never-ending game
The adventure of day to day life
How can I go back?  How can I be normal?
The years pass by in the blink of an eye
But I am stuck, stuck in the past
Now, I look down at this shiny whiskey glass
And I know that it is far from my last
But I’ll be ok, for I have a wife, a loving wife
A woman who knows what I am
And loves me still!
My Salvation!