THE REASONS MY BUDDY DRINKS
For my good friend

When the troubles in his life
seem to have overflowed his cup.
When he thinks he can't go on,
or he's thinking of giving up.

When it all begins to bore him,
or his burden seems too great.
Whe it seems too many troubles
have been heaped upon his plate.

When it seems the road's too hard,
or the hill's a bit too steep.
When a troubled mind is bothering him
and he's not getting any sleep.

When all the world around him
seems to be a mighty mess.
When the answers seem to escape him
and he doesn't have a guess.

When trouble seems to surround him,
and there's no way to turn it about.
When he just wants to excape,
but there's no way of getting out.

When he knows how much he's needed,
but feels he's nothing left to give.
When he thinks his number's up
and he's not sure he wants to live.

When it seems the best solution
might just be to end it all.
When he remembers that without him,
maybe no one would answer the call.

When he thinks about those who depend on him
to answer for their needs.
When he wonders where they'd be
if not for all of his good deeds.

It could be his grand parents,
his parents, or his wife.
It could be a grandchild,
or the child to whom he's given life.

Possibly a good buddy,
an uncle, or an aunt.
When he thinks of all he's given,
that other people can't.

He thinks of his love for sweetie
and of her love for him.
It's brought him back from the depths,
time and time again.

When it seems he's always struggling,
but he's steadily losing ground,
or he thinks about the mess they'd be in,
if he just weren't around.

When the world just isn't his oyster,
or it seems life's not his cup of tea,
he thinks of the affect he's had
on the likes of folks like me.

He knows that life goes on,
and probably they'd survive,
but who'd be there to guide them,
if he no longer were alive?

He remembers there are consequences
to all we do or say.
Without him in their lives,
it would all turn out a different way.

Then after he's thought it through
and sorted out all the junk,
he finds his only solution
is to go out and get stinking drunk.

Of course, if you're a religious man,
that might not be your way.
So, after you get good and snockered,
you might get on your knees and pray.

Still, when all is said and done
and everyone has had their say,
the sun will come up tomorrow
and we'll start a brand new day.

 © copyright 2010 Richard Lee King, author   
A PURSUIT OF LIFE.