The Thirst Poem by Jay Loring

They talk of his drinking
but not of his thirst.
The one is a symptom.
The problem came first.

They murmur and whisper.
They laugh and they chide.
But few pierce the veil,
to the man that's inside.

The drinking's a sign
of a problem that's deeper.
He really needs help,
but the liquor is cheaper.

In fear and depression,
he turns to his booze.
And, if he is lucky,
a long dreamless snooze.

He knows that the bottle's
not really the cure.
But the grief and the pain's
just too much to endure.

But what is this thirst?
What can cause this much pain,
makes him go to the bottle
again, and again?

The thirst's a desire
to forget of his past -
how fortunes had crumbled
and love didn't last.

Or perhaps it is something
more terrible still…
the loss of a loved one,
that's crippled his will.

With emotions he doesn't
know how to release,
he thirsts now for something
elusive, called peace.