Poem: Sober Again

Every time I get sober
I have to face my past

It's not that it's
horrible
to think about
nor painful

The sheer mass of
disparate experiences
seems too much
to process
to understand

When I remember my past
I feel it
I remember the pain
of jail
the hollow desperation
of junk
the egotism
of my youth
the ignorance
of first loves...

I don't know
what to do
with these memories
So I feel I must
write them down
to exorcise them
if you will
onto paper
so that I may continue
in peace