Rumbullion Poem by Janet Mary Zylstra

Have you tasted time,
Rolled its mellow flavour around your tongue
And felt it trickle down your throat?
Have you seen the time
Winking amber eyes through the tumbler
Judging you? Drink it down
Before it strikes the hour of guilt.
How much time does it take
To empty a bottle of rum
And burn a hole in your liver
The way time burns a hole in the wall
Behind the clock?
(The pendulum's shadow does these things.)
Have you seen the ship of souls?
It's in the empty bottle,
Sails unfurled, crew on parade.
Have you met Caronte?
Oh, and don't forget to bless
The albatross.