The Family Curse

The bottle took my brother at the age of 45 The crushing pain engulfed me, I prayed that I would die Drowning in my sorrow I hit the bottle hard Alcoholism runs in my family we both were dealt that card One year later booze got brother number two Found him after two weeks dead in a dirty, dingy room At 54 another brother was found in his home dead A bunch of booze and pills he ate while lying in his bed Oh dear god, I cried, there’s just one brother now This next one you must keep alive some way, somehow He quit the drink when I moved in and never complained at all I was sure the curse had been broken, no one else would fall Just last month while on the pills at the age of 55 My brother put a gun in his mouth--we’re so grateful he’s alive As for me I’m a drunk too but sober now for years We got the curse my father had---a lifetime full of tears by Christine Costello 8-23-14 for addiction contest