May 22: The Last Drink

The last drink I had was 28 years ago

at a music festival in North Carolina,

where I was absolutely miserable,

sneaking drinks from a bottle of vodka,

staving off the shakes and pretending 

to be sober while wishing I was either

dead-drunk or merely dead rather

than just half-drunk and half-alive.

All these years later, sobriety is still

the greatest challenge in the world

and also the greatest gift—an absence,

yes, as well as a presence I rediscover

each day, one precious day at a time.

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