A WEEKEND LOST TO THE MADNESS. by Bradford Middleton

The weekend was destroyed by the time
It had started, a bottle of port, some beer
A bit of tequila and the ubiquitous smoke
Before I’d even really begun.  Old faces
Returned and bad habits came calling again
And the many many times I’ve said NO
In all the previous years this Saturday
Afternoon I got the baddest of urges again.


Up it went
And out I went
Out of my mind
Crawling the walls of the pub as time disappears
Gripped by madness
I plunge in elation

As it takes hold
Numbing, ever so temporarily, my worries
My problems
As still the
Drink and smoke
Continued to offer their assistance in getting me
Out of my mind
Afternoon became
Evening and still it
Went on but I have no idea until when!


The Sunday came and with it
9 hours of checkout action
A day battling the nausea
A day dealing with my middle-class wine drinkers
Who’d have no idea of what
It is I’m going through until
That moment, that sweet beautiful
Moment, 10:59pm, finally came
Around and I dropped to my knees
Delirious at last it was over.


Today, at last, is Monday or at least
It was until about 8 minutes ago and
This morning I woke and felt still a
Little bit shaky,
A little unsteady
But again there it was; another 9
Hours at work
And again by the
End I felt mostly better
Bit jittery but nothing
One big last smoke won’t cure…

 Bradford Middleton was born in south-east London during the summer of 1971 and won his first poetry prize at the age of nine.  He then gave up writing poems for nearly twenty-five years and it wasn't until he landed in Brighton, knowing no one and having no money, that he began again.  Ten years later and he's been lucky enough to have had a few chapbooks published including a new one from Analog Submission Press entitled 'Flying through this Life like a Bottle Battling Gravity', his debut from Crisis Chronicles Press (Ohio, USA) and his second effort for Holy & Intoxicated Press (Hastings, UK).  He has read around the UK at various bars, venues and festivals and is always keen to get out and read to new crowds.  His poetry has also been or will be published shortly in the Chiron Review, Zygote in my Coffee, Section 8, Razur Cuts, Paper & Ink, Grandma Moses 'Poet to Notice', Empty Mirror, Midnight Lane Gallery, Bareback Lit and is a Contributing Poet over at the wonderful Mad Swirl.  If you like what you've read go send a friend request on facebook to bradfordmiddleton1.