“Walking With a Broken Toe” By Richard LeDue

It’s easier to keep the beer

in the cupboard

when life is going easy,

but when the doctor calls

for a follow up over a mole

shaped like a deal with the devil,

or my boss forgets my name

after working there two years

or my kid punches a hole in the wall

with his head,

I’m reminded of alcohol

not being a crutch,

but a steel toe boot.

Richard LeDue (he/him) lives in Norway House, Manitoba, Canada. He writes poems. His last collection, “Another Another,” was released from Alien Buddha Press in May 2025.