I came across a friend
but he looked more like a fiend.
With a drink in his hand,
he looked very mean. 

He looked at me through glassy eyes
and told me how he wished to die. 
I took the bottle from his hand
and told him how to take a stand. 

“Reach into your soul
and pluck out the mole
which eats at your heart
so you lose control.

“Your vision is blurred
in more ways than one.
You can’t see yourself
or what you’ve become.

“You look disgusting
in your dirty clothes, 
bloodshot eyes, 
and a dripping nose.

“You need a bath
and some hot food.
You need some rest, 
or you will lose.

“You have a drink
to get you by.
You make excuses
for every high.

“It feels so good
or so you say. 
But, my friend, 
someday you’ll pay.

“You’ll slip away
further down each day
and when you fall, 
that’s where you’ll stay.

“You’ve lost your wife
and children, too.
Forget your job;
that’s gone, too.
Heads will shake
when they look at you.

“You’ll live in fear 
without a drink
‘cause you can’t cope
when there’s no hope.
And the smell of death
is on your breath.

“So there it is;
it’s up to you.
It’s your choice;
what will you do?”

My friend went home
to face his demons alone.
He turned out the lights 
and switched off the phone.

He lit up a smoke
and nervously paced. 
Then he ranted and raved
for the whiskey he craved. 

He cursed God and country, 
humanity, too, 
lost love and friendships, 
opportunities, too.

He’d lost his dignity
and turned to self-pity.
He saw his image in the mirror, 
and put his fist through it clear.

He charged the door
like a wild boar.
He cursed and spit
and swore some more.

He broke the windows;
his hands were bleeding.
All the while, 
a drink he needed.

He knocked down tables
and kicked down chairs.
He clawed his face
and pulled his hair. 

His reasoning gone, 
his mind was brittle,
like a rabid dog
with foaming spittle.

He finally passed out,
exhausted at last,
able to sleep
and let go of the past.

He awoke in the morn
without the usual scorn.
His vision was clear
and his eyes full of tears. 

He cleaned up the house,
showered and shaved.
He brushed his teeth
and was quite behaved.

He stepped outside
into the sunshine
and felt its rays
upon his face.

Finally, he smiled
and said to himself, 
“Now I can live 
at peace with myself.”