Half-Empty, Half-Full By Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal

I empty the glass
half-full and half-
empty of all its
contents before I
fall asleep. Spirits
fill my thirst as I
become a ghost too.

I empty the red,
white, green, and brown
liquids and like a
magician the glass
is freed of the proof
that I have imbibed.
I become someone

new almost over-
night, conversing,
singing, speaking a
whole mess of nonsense.
The spirits save me
some nights from feelings
I keep bottled up.

Luis has lived in California for 45 years. He works in the mental health field in Los Angeles. 

His poems have appeared in Ariel Chart, Dope Fiend Daily, The Rye Whiskey Review, Under The  Bleachers, Yellow Mama Webzine, and ZYX. Kendra Steiner Editions has published 8 of his chapbooks.