Recently,  while at a seminar in Atlanta, one of the conveners mentioned that her brother had died from alcoholism. That tragedy gripped me as I thought of a few of my friends and acquaintances, recovering alcoholics, who have dodged the inevitable specter of death…so far. There are a few others I think about from time to time and how they have managed to escape an ultimatum. Unfortunately, you can see the effects of it etched on their faces. Glassy eyes, pallid flesh, disinterest in former non-party types, and a selfishness that pervades their relationships. It is a life going no where but “dregfully” down. To deal with my emotional reaction to this destructive behavior comes the following…:

Libations

Talkin’ difficult things, much of it stings,

It’s never enough, someone’s aching

Everyone but him/(her), takin’ it grim.

Liquid amnesia poison.

Refrain: He’s livin’ the life, he’s livin’ the lie, he’s livin’ to say “Goodbye!”

It’s me, “Me, myself, and I,” glassy gaze in his eye,

Running away from survival.

Take it to the sleep, take it to the deep

Life has become too steep

Refrain: He’s livin’ the life, he’s livin’ the lie, he’s livin’ to say “Goodbye!”