No Alcohol Penalties by Ben Adams

I saw a sign
on the crowded express train

NO ALCOHOL
PENALTIES
APPLY!

I'd been drinking too much
& was looking for work
my liver had gotten too
big for my ribs
& my ego too big for the office

so this sounded perfect!
I thought

now all I needed to know was
where to apply
& when
could I start?

Ben Adams is a poet, writer, servo-clerk, research assistant and festival cash wrangler, with honors in History and English. His poetry has appeared in a range of print and online publications, including Australian Love Poems, The Grapple Annual, Red Fez, Tulpa Magazine and InDaily. Recently, his poem 'Wet Leaves' was included as part of the 2018 Raining Poetry in Adelaide street-art project, while several poems were performed for Quart Short Collective’s Spring Shorts reading night. He can be found on Facebook, shares poems and photography on Instagram @bts.adams while poems and politics can be found on his Twitter feed @badbadams