Camomlile Vodka

To all the times we’re pushed to put on a mask and pretend ……

The masks we don all day

for the men around us

taunt us from the wall,

in the solace of the night.

Every moment spent

under one of those veils

chips a sliver off you.

But there might be one person;

Someone

who tears off those masks

and smiles at the mess they find underneath.

If you don’t have that person

you stand a chance

to lose yourself.

You’ll end up

forever

being everyone’s cup of tea

and

never

someone’s shot of vodka.

And I sure do hope

that one person is on their way.

Because I’m on the brink of

being that cup of tea forever.

And

tea tends to get cold

and left on the breakfast table

until

someone remembers

to pour it down the sink….

Reviews

[William Liston]

There's truth in this poem. We all need someone who loves us regardless of circumstance ~ who smiles at both our "flaws" and our "perfections." If not, we could never be our true selves around others ... we'd just have to mask our real identities.
About half-way through the piece, I wondered how the title connected to the poem; then, just a couple of lines later, I realized the connection was perfect. I loved the "cup of tea" and "vodka" analogy in that it illustrated the "ideal" and "not-so-ideal" aspects each human has. The line "and smiles at the mess they find underneath" also resonated with me. It made me imagine someone so kind-hearted and pure putting on a big grin ... a heart-warming image.
I think the nuances of love, insecurity, and sorrow blend well in this poem, and I thank you for sharing it. The last line was killer : )

- William Liston