he would never get worn down
by need.  So, when I called him all
crying and shaking he never returned
my call. That’s when I turned to alcohol.

He told me
he would be there in times
of trouble. So, when I told him I was
drunk he let me leave, as if the words hadn’t
sunk in. And I almost got in an accident.

He told me
some things. Other things he
kept. And when I wept, he never
held me like he used to do, He passed me
the box of tissue.