My115thDream

Poem - "With My Face in the Cement"

When things fall apart as often they do
And come crashing down to the Earth,
When the night summons forth its ominous light,
Revealing its beauty and worth,
When the damage is done and I’ve had too much fun
To offer a guilty grin,
When it’s time to flee and all I can see
Is twenty-one shades of sin,
Knee-deep in dark water and down on my luck
And drowning my sorrows in wine,
Battered and broken and beaten so badly
And it’s nobody’s fault but mine.
I know the time’s right for my feet to take flight
From the blissful pastures of heaven.
I wonder what’s next as the sunset reflects
In the window of the 7-11.
I hate to admit that this punishment fits,
I know that I’m on the right track.
The hills by the road recede as I ride
With the setting sun at my back.
A week in the past while driving too fast,
They welcomed me like I was their own,
But now as I gaze with guilt-ridden eyes
They seem to turn into stone.
Long is the journey that lies before me,
And torturous time will tell,
This is my penance, the price that I pay
For dipping too deep in the well.
I’ll call you tomorrow if there are phones where I am
If you think that might be alright,
But if not then you know I could never be lonely
With the bottle beside me all night.
Don’t be surprised by this wretched regress,
Things are a bit simpler here.
There’s no mountain river to wash off my sins,
No angels to assuage my fears.
I can’t help but think as my tears make ripples
In my half-empty glass of gin,
I’ve been through this story one time before
And I’m writing it all over again.
I know you’ll be there when the dust settles down
With half of a smile on your face,
In the midst of a world of wide-open spaces,
I know there exists such a place.
I know the angles are waiting nearby,
I’d like to go now but I can’t.
And they can’t save my soul when I’m stuck in a hole
At a goddamned chemical plant.
I know you’ll receive me once I’ve worked this one off,
But I know you deserve so much more.
Just one last time let me start a clean slate,
Just one last time like before.