|
The Bottle That Lay Before Me
William Matthew McCarter
I opened up the bottle that lay before me and tasted life
I tasted life and felt its sweetness upon my lips
I felt it quench my insatiable thirst
And relieve my cotton-mouthed ignorance
I tasted life and it opened my eyes to see
It showed me the greenest grass
The deep red hue of a rose in bloom
And the tender blue in the eyes of a young mistress
I tasted life and felt the warmth of its knowledge
Felt it warm my soul with its brilliant enlightenment
And reached euphoria with the amazing world around me
Thinking that salvation had already come
Quickly, I guzzled life
Downed the bottle in all haste
Experiencing all that it had to offer
And got drunk in terminal bliss
I reveled in its pleasure and its pain
In a total derangement of my senses
I experienced the G-force of the roller coaster ride
As it all passed before me
Every hill, each valley, the downward leaps
I rode sideways on the edge of my seat
Until at last my world quit spinning
Now the bottle lay near empty
And only the dregs remain
And yet, I continue tasting life
|