55 Bottles

55 candles burning bright. 55 reasons to fight tonight.

Line them up like soldiers in a row. Every poison that I've come to

know. Whiskey, beer, and mason jar shine.

Each one marking passages of time. Birthday cake sits cold and untouched. While I contemplate

what life has clutched. From my hands like sand through weathered skin.

Wondering where the hell I've been. 55 years of making mistakes. 55 chances that

I didn't take. 55 bottles standing tall. Maybe tonight I'll drink them all.

55 bottles, 55 years. Drowning my sorrows, drowning my fears. What will they