I Started Drinking in the Afternoon

by James Babbs

I started drinking in the afternoon
when the sun felt warm
touching my face and
I didn’t have any place to go
I was alone
so I put a Dylan record
on the stereo and
turned the volume up loud
I went and got me
another can of beer
started thinking about her
because
I wanted to see her again
naked
in the soft light of my room
the sun like love
hot
pouring through the window
but when I walked outside
madness was falling from the sky
so I ran for cover
looking for a place to hide
but madness flooded the streets
madness
dripped from the trees
and splashed into my eyes
I stumbled around
without knowing where to go
and when I awoke
years had passed
I was older
but inside
I still felt the same
so I went back home
and gathered up the empties
then took off all my clothes
and crawled into bed