Alcohol

As a little girl I didn't understand all the fights

The reasons behind the screaming in the night

I didn't understand why Mum would get so upset

I didn't understand so I had no reason to fret

But as I grew older, things began to make sense

They fell into place at my father's expense

For finally his daughter was beginning to see

It was all the drinking that made the family unhappy

Slowly but surely, we began to grow apart

He still doesn't know why and it still breaks my heart

But the drunk man I so often see is not my real dad

And he doesn't understand that's what makes me so sad

So often I see him with a beer in one hand

Stinking breath, drawling sentences which I cannot stand

He comes out to greet me, asks "how was your day?"

I'm filled with disgust and turn the other way

Or he starts up a discussion about the latest world news

But when I want to say my opinion, he just blows his fuse

Screaming and shouting only make tears fall

So I decide I'll just shut up and say nothing at all

Along with the beer that gushes down his throat

Are reeking cigarettes from where a cloud of smoke floats

The intoxicating chemicals continually poison the air

And I wonder how he can maintain sitting there

And now I watch him closely as he laughs with his friend

They've been drinking for hours and there's no apparent end

As Mum waits inside and the dinner turns cold

There's a couple of things that they both should be told

You can laugh, you can joke, carry on like young men

But you're not invincible and you will reach an end

It's just a shame that they'll only believe me when it's too late

When the damage has been done, when they can't change their fate

If I were to say this now, they'd only get angry at me

But they're just so ignorant and they just cannot see

That poisoning their bodies for the sake of fun and relief

Is a stupid mistake and an even more stupid belief

Don't they know they risk their families' health as well as their own lives?

Don't they know that alcohol will kill them, not keep them alive?

Don't they know that with each sip they take, their organs are destroyed?

Don't they know that if they die, my life will be empty, will be void?

It's the families left behind who will have to suffer the pain

Replaying memories of better days over and over again

Feeling guilty, wondering that maybe they didn't try

Didn't try and warn them that alcohol can cause you to die

So now a ticking time-bomb starts, I can hear it far away

But perhaps soon, it will be close and will forever stay

I dread that day, I wish it never comes, I hope it's just a lie

But I must be ready for a time when all I'll do is cry

I wait for the day I come home from school

To hear the message that proves you're a fool

To witness the faces with tear-stained eyes

To hear the sobs and the never-ending cries

So forgive me if I'm angry and if I spoil your fun

I simply want to warn you before the damage is done

I love you very much and I don't want you to die

So please listen to me Dad, please don't make me cry

You've promised us before that you'll give up alcohol

Give up this toxic poison that threatens to blacken your soul

I know it may be hard at first but in the end you'll smile

Because being alive is precious and will make the choice worthwhile

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This poem basically reflects how I feel when I see how badly alcohol affects families. I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm not the biggest fan of alcohol because I hate what it does to people. Perhaps you can relate to it in some way. Either way, send me a review and tell me what you think. Greatly appreciated.