Perhaps our spinning wheel was alcohol.
Our parents had a cocktail many nights,
and wine was shared on holidays, with all
of us imbibing sips amid the lights
of candles and the mammoth-plattered foods.
But no one told us drunks could hold down jobs
or sleep in beds or bathe. We thought their moods
were hostile, rest was gutters, speech was sobs.

We didn’t have a clue. So when we met
our future spouses we enjoyed the drink.
Engaged we didn’t read the signs or get
perspective on disease. We didn’t think
that drunks could be that functional. The lot
of us were blind, and each espoused a sot.