At the Bottom of the Glass

I'm sitting here just after a chat with my sis-in-law, laundry a-swishing, having a little glass of wine. I'll get to the last drop, probaby finish this post, read a little bit, then head to bed. I'm thinking of that, and the fact that al lot of folks would not be able to stop at a half a glass.

Alcoholism is deadly for many reasons. Not only does it kill its victim rather slowly and painfully, it also kills the love in those around him or her. It is a vile creeping vine that quietly ensnares. Suddenly, its prey is trapped, and it becomes a way of life, until death.

I've seen alcoholism in my own family, and I know it is alive and well in other people who have been close to me. I know people who have a problem who are no longer part of my life, but I know they are still out there and I worry that they'll hurt themselves or others. It's a dreadful kind of knowledge. I wait for the phone to ring. All the time.

While out on a short walk in the park tonight, it began to rain rather sweetly. At just that moment, this beautiful song from Tony and Larry Rice, Herb Pederson and Chris Hillman, came on. It's from Out of the Woodwork, one of my favorite acquisitions of the year. I thought about the meaning in this song and how deeply sad and scared I am for the people in my life affected by the drinking dragons within. I would slay them if I could, but they are not mine to slay.

Streetcorner Stranger
Streetcorner Stranger can I talk with you a while
I see that you are standing in the rain
You see, it's not that easy for me to explain to you
But I've been back into the poison once again

Streetcorner stranger can I have a talk with you
I know I've passed you by many times before
And I know that you'r'e not Moses but I'm standin' at the water's edge
Can you tell me how to get to the other side?

You see, I've traded my family for the bottom of some glass
And now I need to speak with you again
And I know that you're not Moses, but I need to speak with you
'Cause I've been back into the poison once again

Do these folks round here look down on you when you bow your head in shame
I know the way you feel when you shake and cry
What advice can you give me, so I don't end up like you
Ringing wet and cold as they pass you by

You see, I've traded my family for the bottom of some glass
And now I need to speak with you again
And I know that you're not Moses, but I need to speak with you
'Cause I been back into the poison once again