We Admitted We Were Powerless

Hairline cracks
in those damned oak floors
betray the laughter
of my father’s adultery.

Well-endowed cheeks
of childhood squish
to peak fearful, tears filled
eyes beneath a door.

A freckled, snotty nose
first smells the perfume
of his mistress,
intoxicatingly, rancidly sweet.

Daddy’s mouth,
red from its well use,
attaches sloppy half kisses
to lips of glass and gloss.

A lengthy affair,
he consumes her
from glimpse of morning
until the set of sun.

Midnight, crawling
into their loveless bed,
my mother awakes to the stench
of his addiction on him.

She won't ask her name -
mama already knows.
The heavy breathing of sleep
covers her cries.

At dawn’s arrival, he’ll wake,
and this damn house
will echo forever
with the sound of infidelity.

The sound of the soft departure
of bottle caps from their
bottlenecked, brewed homes
resonates between tiny wood fractures.

Author's Note

About my father's alcoholism

Reviews

[William Liston]

This is a very powerful poem, and I thank you for entering in my contest. It was a pleasure to read. The vocabulary and imagery was amazing; I loved how each word seemed to drench me with melancholy, as if I became more and more entranced into the poem's emotion with each line I read. On top of that, you did something that I think more poets should do: you used imagery that appealed to more than just sight. I love it when a poet does that, it really adds uniqueness.

The only thing I can critique is the visual presentation. The font selection is very boring to say the least, and even though the poem itself is amazing, a better font could give the reader a good first impression; it could also make the poem easier to read. I'd suggest using Georgia font size 12, it looks very nice to the eye, and when centered...oh it's just beautiful. Also, a square-shaped picture of a beer (or whiskey) bottle on the floor could really help set the tone of this piece.

-William Liston

[Spencer Barker]

Devon, I am sorry about your father's situation. I imagine that is not easy, to say the least, to deal with. But although the subject is fearing and quite horrible, you do craft it with the thought and meaning necessary. You instill the imagery and emotion you feel dearly, giving the reader a glimpse. A great work, once again! :)