"It Only Takes . . ."

All it takes is one drink

One sip
          One guzzle
                          One mouthful

Just one drink

Racing
Racing
Racing

Through your blood, 
                            Your cells
                                         Your body

A rivulet, racing rapids
Ending in a dam
Close to the frontal core

No more inhibitions
                             No more fears
                                                 No more memories

Just one sip, and it's all gone

But afterwards, that's the worst

Has the light always been this bright?
                                                  Has my head always pounded like this?
                                                                                                    Has the world always been this big?

The absolute worst

So, don't do afterwards
And you won't see
The vapors of the world left behind

Just grab the keys
                          Offer empty reassurances
                                                                 And drive away.

The night's dark.

It's sudden, rapid - the screeching of brakes
A child's scream
The clash of metal against metal

Biting
       Ripping
                 Tearing

The light's snuffed out.

But yet, afterward comes
It's dull, the single morning light
But searing, the realization too great

One night ends
                      Another day begins
                                                   That life . . .

It's gone.

All it took was one drink
One bad decision
And that book, that chapter, ended

No more mothers
                         No more fathers
                                                No more "warmth"

Just a cold box in the middle of the ground

So, before you are enticed by the devil
And abandoned by God
Think again

Just don't take that drink.