Stained

Her tongue tasted of liquor and lust

Her heart on the string that bound her to me

She tried so hard and laughed too often

I lost her mind on the third drink

I blew a week’s pay on her delusions

And she bought my lies with her batting lashes

Princess of Bourbon, Goddess of Gin

I never thought she would hurt this bad

I was the drunk when she stole my lies

I didn’t touch a sip of her self-esteem-solution

I led her to the corner to hail a cab

Thought better of it; took her back to my room

With the stained carpet and un-made bed

Her eyes were pure of sin;

Her breath reeked of too many bad memories

Still, I seized her last shred of dignity

Exploited it, her, myself in that room

If she didn’t see me in the morning, would she even know?

The esteem she wanted I stole and swallowed

I saw her at the bar a few weeks later

Her eyes were like my carpet

Stained.