I Drink for a Reason
This pint glass I’m holding
had better be strong
for every fist that grabs it.
And the longneck stronger still,
for the suffocating clench of five fingers
desperately hanging on to life.
We need the glassmakers more
for shot glasses and beer bottles,
than for the stained glass windows
decorating all of God’s churches.
Housman says it best,
And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God’s ways to man.*
He too knew intimately
the reasons people drink.
*A Shropshire Lad (1896) - A.E. Housman
(lines 21-22) from Terence, This is Stupid Stuff
“Now don’t say you can’t swear off drinking; it’s easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.”
This poem has been adapted and was originally shared on April 30, 2017, and was titled The Pint Glass. The original is included in Tomorrow Could Be Wonderful: Brian's Poem of the Day: 365 Daily Meditations Vol. 1.
©Brian Mueller - All rights reserved.
