Ode to Beer

River of bitter
Sunshine
Dressed in dark
Cloaks,
Laden with blonde
Hair
And wearing jeweled
Amber:
Alcohol’s amulet
Of crisp,
Cold
And refreshing
Sensation.

From the spring
Of my childhood,
Enjoying watching
My father enjoying
His working reward,
To the summer
Of my youth,
Discovering everything
Under the sun
And within my grasp:
Girls, cars,
Dancing, wilderness,
And you,
Motivator and chaperone,
Cheerleader and coach,
Gradually introducing
My brain to harmonious
Inebriation.

Beer is indeed
Divine.

For what other purpose
Could you exist, at least
For me, than to imbue
The human heart
With the capacity
To open its lips
And kiss liquid bliss,
Tasting the miracle
Of a metabolic yeast
And its metamorphic
Excrement.

Yes, it’s true that microscopic
Shit causes car accidents,
Makes a fist of rage,
Accounts for countless accidental
Pregnancies, eats human livers
And is twelve steps
Away from catastrophe,
But for me it will always be
Like water,
Like air,
Fire or earth;
It will remain
Elemental,
Akin to companionship,
A necessary medium
For the process
Of listening to the moon
And uncivilizing my mind.