A Drunkard’s Ballad
by C. Walker
Sullen is the unmouthed word, the lonely love,
Tragedy the ne’er writ book, the ne’er sung song;
Hopeless is the flight that fell from high above,
Agony the sick and weak that were once strong.
This we say when life has gone and gave us up,
All the world a daunting and a draining place,
Then in pity and in habit take our cup,
Which we fill with drink, with fire to burn, erase.
And, in bouts of fervour, we are born again,
Toxin turned to mirth; it churns, it swirls, it swells!
Air, once tense, turns light from dark and joy from bane,
And that hope once felled, it rises, stirs; it wells!
Though this drink may be a curse, it is a cure;
It, the motivator for man’s love, man’s word.
And it’s true that all of us were never pure,
So, let’s drink to be the men we never were!
Tragedy the ne’er writ book, the ne’er sung song;
Hopeless is the flight that fell from high above,
Agony the sick and weak that were once strong.
This we say when life has gone and gave us up,
All the world a daunting and a draining place,
Then in pity and in habit take our cup,
Which we fill with drink, with fire to burn, erase.
And, in bouts of fervour, we are born again,
Toxin turned to mirth; it churns, it swirls, it swells!
Air, once tense, turns light from dark and joy from bane,
And that hope once felled, it rises, stirs; it wells!
Though this drink may be a curse, it is a cure;
It, the motivator for man’s love, man’s word.
And it’s true that all of us were never pure,
So, let’s drink to be the men we never were!
C. Walker is a poet from Connecticut, born in Switzerland, studying at Cornell University. He is the founder and Editor-In-Chief of Lucky Lizard Journal. He is inspired by poets like Yeats, Dylan Thomas, and Poe. He has been published or is forthcoming in several magazines, including The Round, The Aerial Perspective, Third Wednesday, and The RavensPerch. His website is cwalkerpoetry.com.