I sometimes drank too much when I was young.
A social 20-something in a bar,
I wasn’t home alone. I drank among
acquaintances and friends. I took in far
too much because I lost all appetite
for food. I pushed the plate and bowl away –
then passed a semi-sleepless, dizzy night,
and felt the bad effects for half a day.

I aged. At 41 the ache would last
two days. So overdrink moved to my past.

With food I felt disorder longer still.
I overate at home, unseen, alone.
And though my bingeing often made me ill,
I bore that consequence (I should have known).
I’m old now, and I rarely overdo
the carbohydrates or the calories.
But every now and then, when stressed or blue,
I mindless eat, relapsing to disease.

Alas – now bloat and gas extend for days.
I learn to be aware. I weigh my ways.