having drunk too much, by Ray Heinrich

having drunk too much

again   my aunt dot was an alcoholic   but what could she do in the days before lithium
before suicide was acceptable   it was the best she could do   valedictorian
winner of texas polka contests (my dad was her partner)   and still
on the beach in galveston
my dad
burying the pint from her purse
(bourbon for a southern lady)
swimming in her bra and panties
she was good to us kids   we loved her

poems.one - Ray Heinrich