Dissolute Alphabet

M is for mescaline, for peace
of mind.

O is for opiates on my
hip, just for kicks.

D is for drink, drink
all over my lap and belly.

S is for smoke
the color of eyes.

L is for my life’s
that’s wrecked. Got no job,
no true home,
family’s a cipher,
love’s a horizon.

G is for the gold rush,
the hope of easy street, the fine wares
of gangster and greedyguts,
for groaning
under the weight of pretending
that I expect something to go well.

C is for cleaning up
the stains that are always on the floor
no matter how C for careful I am.

A is for absolution, absinthe,
how amazing the way I am when left
to my own devices.

Z is the place I end up
when I lose the thread. The last place
I remember to look. The place
as distant from a beginning as I can find.