Half A Man Poem by Raymond Magabe

I try to sneak a goodnight kiss,
but vodka beats me to it.
my love with tight lips
fuels my manly cravings for their touch.

I want to hold her tight
and ensure her certainty of security in my arms.
I would love for her to rest her head
on my chest and smile into sleep.

I would love for her to see the true man
that she loves but the vodka smell comes
like blinds to the sun-rays in the mid-summer day light.

I am half the man
whose kids she hopes to mother someday,
I am now half the man
whose rib formed part of her forming.

though deep down she loves me,
it's just for her to see past the inebracy
to the man that fights to stay sober.
it's true, I'm half a man now
with vodka filling my already half empty glass.

I love her though,
through the disregard and confusion
of reality in this state that remains intact,
my everything is still in her posture.

her presence is still that one reason
that makes life worth living,
and her smile still lights my light
at the end of the tunnel.