The calming, steady hand of sobriety
For days and weeks and months
Holds and comforts
Soothes and cools
Dilutes the cruel
Guiding the hours
And steering the minutes
Sheltering from showers
And looming heavy clouds
All the while
Retaining the vision
But I reserve the right
For an intermission
To drop the hand
To stop time
To lose an afternoon
A day or days
To forget the need
For purpose
For drive
For steady-state
To punctuate:
A colon, a semicolon, a comma
A full-stop
While knowingly the hand is dropped
But when the circus leaves
And time returns to breathe
I again extend my reach
With outstretched arm
To once more hold the hand of calm
Riding twixt the two
Is a taxing, tricky business
And dancing with each mistress
May well lay the path for fools
But each holds more allure
With the promise of the other
27th Apr 2022