Whiskey Burn

"Whiskey Burn"
The stillness of the night
settles in
around me,

From the corner,
     a candle softly flickers
its flame
     casting shadows
     that dance
     upon the walls
over one another,

The soft clanking of ice on glass
cuts the silence
     as I move
     my hand
to take a drink
of my whiskey,

My eyes are fixated
on the delicate light
as I wonder,
     how it all
     came to this,

The chaos of my memory
sits silently
with me
inside
this room,
     A lifeless hollow shell of what was,

I drink now
in this space
     as the flicker of flame
reflects upon
     the iris of my eyes
the regretful pain
the black of my pupils
hide,

I take another drink
swirling the ache
inside my glass
with the ends of my fingers
before pulling it to my lips and
swallowing the smokey burn
of regret,

That darkness grows larger,
Lifeless reminders begin to surround me
as the tiny candle slowly fades,

The suffocating silence
wraps
my mess of an existence
filling me
with the shimmering dread
of what comes next,

I sit back finally
as the candle flame
fizzles out
pulling my glass to my lips
one final time
drinking that last drink
as this darkness swallows me
     eating me whole,
leaving me with nothing
     but only
     a tainted
     soul.
-Armando Torres