The Second Beer

The second beer

And I forget my problems

The second beer

And I close my eyes

***

Once upon a time, I used to drink Whiskey

I used to wander the streets

Drunk

Still unemployed

***

I graduated with an English degree

I don't know anything about literature

My parents wanted me to have a university degree

And I went to university

***

Once upon a time, I wanted to be a teacher

But I was a girl

Who looks like a boy

This got in the way

***

At school they used to make fun of me

In icy Toronto

That acts progressive

They used to throw bottles at me from moving cars

***

"Hey!" they used to call

"Are you a girl or a boy?"

"Hey!"

"I've bet fifty dollars on you!"

***

It used to upset me

To the point of wanting to explode

The poor girls used to love me

They used to cry

***

The chaplain's daughter

She loved me the most

I used to show up drunk

With my arms cut up with a razor

***

She used to cry hot tears

While hugging me

She like an angel

And I like a thug

***

I have softened up a bit

I would like to write

About life

But I suck at writing

***

If I were a painter

I would paint the girls

That I have kissed

That probably I don't even deserve

***

I wander the streets of Toronto

The snow whitens the city

My breath goes up

Like cigarette smoke

***

I wish it weren't cold

I wish we were at the beach

I wish I could kiss your eyes

I wish we were together