Sip, sip, sip.
That’s all she does.
Sip. Swallow. Sip.
Pour. Sip. Swallow.
Pour.
Each sip intoxicating her, and
Me,
Poisoning her body, our family.
She waddles back and forth unevenly, her
Brain unable to balance the world around her.
Somehow, though, her body finds its way back to
Her chair and
Her glass.
Sip, sip, sip.
My eyes watch in agony, my heart aching for the pain to
Stop.
Wishing that each sip would just
Stop.
She falls down, and falls asleep.
I rest a blanket over her, warming her helpless body.
I rest her head on a pillow, cushioning the confused brain of
A woman who seemed so familiar just hours before.
At noon she awakens.
Again, I see the beautiful face that I unconditionally love.
But her eyes see the glass.
And soon the face I know fades away after each
Sip.
Swallow.
Pour.
Then I am drawn back into the cycle that
Never ceases to stop.
Sip, sip, sip, she goes.
Sip, sip, sip.