friday nights

in my life, two people
struggle to cope with
loneliness and despair

one suffers alone
in silence
bound to another in misery

the other suffers publicly
a town drunk with a heart of gold
regularly and violently lashing out

one takes any affection
or compliment they can
needing attention, needing love

the other rejects affection
snarls at compliments
needing attention, needing love

on a friday in august
each does something
about their situation

one takes another’s embrace
in awkward silence
needed attention, needed love

the other takes a bottle and
six feet of chain and hangs himself
needed attention, needed love

friday nights in my
life are like badly
written poetry