“Oh Starry Starry Night”

The stars never shined as bright as when

l’d drag my drunk father home from

The bars, where they all knew me, the most

Popular eight-year-old to step foot in

The smoke filled tavern, and though greeted

By smiles and questions of how are you

I couldn’t wait to tear dear dad away

From the rabble and make our long walk home.

Stumbling in the dark my heart would race

As the weight of my father bore down upon me,

Which I could only ignore by gazing

Up at the sky and try counting the stars

While he regaled me with stories I’d soon forget,

Half slurred and half drenched by the stench

Of the many liquors there mixed on his tongue,

Only the word YOUTH slipping in from between.

I knew what he meant, he’d told the stories often

Of how he was when he was a kid, and how

He wished he could go back... it was all boring

Because I was a kid, and I wanted to grow up

Desperately, and watching him moan

For an age and space I already occupied

Was like watching a warlord pray for peace.