The Broken and The Holy

mom

said not to

drink beer

until after the noon hour

or I would be

an

alcoholic

unless I am on a vacation —

then mom said

it’s okay

to have morning drinks

on trips

later in life

a friend asked me

to go

to a few AA meetings

i asked the group

when they used to have

their first drink each day?

Each gave a time

always after

the noon hour

i asked how

they could be

an alcoholic

drink  before noon?

Everyone stared at me

for several minutes

even my friend

could mom

be wrong?

I guess there

was a message

in all that silence

and  all

them AA members

staring at me

could

mom

be wrong?

where

ever

you

are

do you

remember

we

loved

one

summer

at

cocoa beach?

shyness is crazy

it didn’t do me

any good

all those years

of being afraid

of rejection

in fact

when i was

lucky enough

to walk

with a girl

in high school

i didn’t

know

if i should

hold

her

hand

when i didn’t

which was

almost always

i saw

disappointment

in her eyes

when we

went our

own ways

i was afraid you would laugh

or walk away

if i asked to be your friend

those were the days

before texting on a cell

or going on facebook

and asking to be a friend

back then i

missed chances to

to fall in love

or just have a friend

because i was afraid

to say the words

on the phone or

in person . . . those words,

can i be your friend?

it’s easier now

with texting

no one has to

have their feelings

hurt

and if someone says no

to a friend request

just simply look at

other photos

and send more friend requests