Sober

He wasn’t looking

To meet anyone

When he came to the bar.

He had planned

To drown his sorrows

In Whiskey and peanuts.

Instead he met her

And he listened

To her tale.

A tale,

He wished he had never heard,

He wished it was some

Liquor induced delusion.

And yet there she sat

With doe-like eyes

Tinged with innocence,

Regret and fear.

He wanted to protect her.

He want to never

See her scared,

Worried or any other emotion

That would alter

The tranquility of her face.

Instead he listened,

Knowing that that

Was all she wanted from him.

As her tale ended,

He could see her anxiety

Melt away like wax

Exposed to a flame.

She smiled at him weakly,

Then in one gulp,

She finished her drink.

On steady legs that

Spoke nothing of the amount

Of alcohol she consumed,

She stood and thanked him

For listening. Then she left.

He looked down

At his own drink,

He looked into

His own life.

Compared to her sorrows,

His were minnows

To her whales.

He finished his drink

Paid his bill

And left the bar

Sober.

Sober to the reality

That his life could

Be a whole lot worse,

He could have died

And not be missed

By anyone.