Private stock
We’re not the kind of drunks who
engage in arguments and fisticuffs;
who climb upon tables and loudly hold forth.
We drift to the edges;
sink deeply into intoxication;
wonderment holds our tongue.
We know when we’ve had enough –
the wall we’re leaning against becomes the floor.
We might be coaxed into singing,
cheek to cheek with other drunks,
the timbre of some clear
with purity of intent,
others raspy from longing
and a lifetime of sorrow.
We’re the ones with sodden hearts;
sour breaths; befuddled brains.
If we have a clear thought at all,
it’s how extraordinarily fortunate we are
to have found our way to the Tavern and been served
from the Winekeeper’s private stock.
O child of God, how rare is this gift of wine?
Few in all the world have ever known its taste.
(from A Jewel in the Dust, 2011)
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