JOY ON THIS MONDAY NIGHT by Bradford Middleton

Another night lost to the bottle as tonight
I sit alone, Charley Patton by my side forever
More I hope as right now he sounds real good, and
The shit cheap whiskey and beer I got earlier,
All own-brand supermarket fare, taste real good
Cos tonight I just want this.
Me, alone, simply means joy as the beer, smoke
And the blessed Mudhoney come to make this life
Taste alive for the first time in a long while.  The
Writing will get done whilst the drinking will continue
And the smoking will help guide the way as another
Night is lost, yet again, to the sacred bottle and smoke.

 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.