Whiskey, rum, wine
may wash away pain
but tonight’s drip drip dripping
of mother nature’s little helper
falls down on me, around me
and through the gutter
playing rat-a-tat songs across the red car canopy
while I soak in the coolness
to another summer night.

Minutes later, I take refuge behind bars of steel
meant to protect me
from society’s infamous
and the innocent
scattered throughout the neighborhood.

And I see them all.

Across the alley
flickering images
through the curtains
of UFC battles on a 3-D flatscreen
a couple coupling to the beatings
like bronco riders taming the wild beast.

The blue and red lights alternate flashing
while the MAN checks on a license plate of the gang cruiser
as another homeless staggers down the sidewalk
and pukes in the street.

Waves of shouts
for the victors
boomerang off the walls
of the bar
as the fans cheer
another loser pummeled
until he taps out
on the thirst for fame
from a ring, a cage
meant more for animals than humans.

I pray for more water
from the heavens
so I can taste the last of God’s blood
the dirtiest of it
puddled in the bucket
and slide it into my Jack Daniel’s
my fifth glass tonight.

Time to sleep off my night
in my girlfriend’s flat
and forget about
my wife’s rage
my baby’s tears
my heart’s numbness
of just another day
worst than the one before.