An Alcoholic Coward, No More. Poem by Steven Elsner

I used to hug a bottle like it was family,
I had lost the man in me,
I was a coward,
And I was completely wayward.

Only had friends when I was inebriated,
Now that I'm sober, they're gone and faded,
Jack and Sam took the edge off,
Blackened and damned, I wanted to walk to a ledge and dive off.

Clear vision was something to get accustomed to,
'Steven, this alcohol is bustin' you.' -from mom,
Words from folks that care always seem to hurt, like napalm.
They were sick of seeing vomit-covered shirts,
So I went through changes to make it work,
Unbelievably tired of being a drunk, teenage, burnout jerk.

And I only loved when girls were too drunk to think,
I was living my life, one night at a time and always on the brink.
So I filled my hollowed confidence,
With misled drifting girls. But now I'm convinced,
This has all taught me one fact,
That I needed to clean up my act.