OHC Writer's Guild Poetry Winner: Booze by Linda Sullivan

We have a champion!

The first place winner of our 3rd Annual poetry contet (adult division) is....

Linda Sullivan!

This is her second win, as in last year's contest she finished second!

Booze

by Linda Sullivan

One Saturday night when the house was shaking

     and the kitchen dishes were near to breaking

I settled down with a good home brew

     determined to see the rainstorm through.

When a bolt of lightning ripped the sky

    I took a drink and shut one eye

I timidly watched from where I sat

    as it kindly killed my old, sick cat.

Well, the thunder crashed and the rain was pouring

     The wind was fierce and my head was roaring

So I took a drink and by and by

     I lifted that jug and drank it dry.

'Twas then I saw.....I'll call it 'That'.

     It was downright thin, but kind of fat.

I knew it was green but it sure looked brown,

     It wasn't up and it wasn't down.

Then it snarled a curse that made me moan.

     "Why me?  Why me?" but 'That' was gone.

With a strangled cry and a vague hiccough

     I watched my left leg shrivel up.

Shaking my head, I tried to think.

    I was plainly in need of a good, stiff drink

So, fearful that my mind I'd lose

    I crawled to the cellar and drank more booze.

I fell to the floor then staggered back up

     and mournfully noted my arm had dried up.

I bowed my head and vowed to repent

     then cynically watched as the rest of me went.

I thought of a toast to my dried up state

     and resigned myself to my shriveled fate.

Up, up I rose into the air

     and then I was and I wasn't there.

There's a moral that's tried and true:

     don't drink in a storm, but if you do

could be that 'That'

     will come for you!