a poem by Wolfgang Carstens

without complaint

two elderly men
on a cemetery bench meet
to drink whiskey
from a brown paper bag

they lift the bottle
in remembrace of those
whose bones are long buried
in the ground

they lift the bottle
in remembrace of those
spending their first night
in their graves

they lift the bottle
in remembrace of those
lying broken in hospice beds
inching towards oblivion

they lift the bottle
without complaint tonight
because their hearts beat
and there is still whiskey--

and that's enough

© by Wolfgang Carstens

 
Gutter Eloquence Magazine ~ Issue #6 ~ November 2009