The sober man does not see the world as what it is,
for he is scared.
He is ignorant to the truth,
his vision is impaired.
A broken moral compass,
no sense of wrong or right.
He can not see the colours of life,
only in black and white.
Oblivious to his surroundings,
an actor, that man is.
For he chooses to act as if
that problem is not his.

But the drunk man, with whiskey and wine,
whispering in his ear.
Filled with liquid courage,
why, that man has no fear.
So he can see the harsh reality,
and comment upon life.
He is able to be honest,
and not hide from the strife.
He can see through people’s masks
and understands their souls.
He is able to see the lies,
and when those lies have holes.

This poem is inspired by Oscar Wilde and his poem, “The Ballad of Reading Gaol.” This poem is not too long, but I am hoping to change that soon. I am going to continually add to this piece and furnish it into one of my best pieces I hope, for I see this topic as very interesting and relevant. During today’s writer’s seminar, I wrote a stanza for an emulation of his work, following the same rhyme scheme, and keeping his ideas of ignorance and morality in mind. The first 5 couplets are the original lines I wrote, and the rest was written later. To me this poem is a display of how we, as a society, are oblivious to what is really happening around us, and if we do know, we either don’t understand or we turn a blind eye to it. One current event where this would be a relevant poem, would be when talking about the threats of war. Many of us know the risks of a war and we know that the possibility of a war taking place is not too far-fetched; however, we act as if everything is okay, and don’t pay attention to it. This seems to be a coping mechanism for humans when dealing with serious issues, and although it does work to help cope, we are postponing the inevitable, and not dealing with the issue at hand. This poem is a kind of way to understand how although alcohol is known to impair thinking, it removes that fear, and allows us to understand the truths of life.

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