Thad DeVassie
Sobering Realization
When I gave up alcohol's mirage
my bartender didn't bat an eye.
Unconcerned if my poison was no longer
a poison, a mere mocktail, he cares
only that the indulgent and clear-minded
approach his slab of wood, call him
by name, tip handsomely.
This is the bartender's circus with many
acts unfolding at once, a haven for the
storyteller, those who claim to be fortune
tellers after downing what is in the glass.
No, this is not a circus, not just parody,
it's an infirmary, an always-on morality play
where I've been recast with fewer, clearer lines.
Bio
Thad DeVassie is a multi-genre writer and painter who creates from the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio. His collection Splendid Irrationalities was awarded the James Tate International Poetry Prize (SurVision Books, 2020). Find more of his written and painted works at www.thaddevassie.com.