Aphorisms to Guide Your Life

by George Anderson

My old man expressed
his attitude to me in aphorisms

in little kernels of wisdom
usually after guzzling
between 12 and 24 beers.

‘I wanna tell you something’,
he’d begin,
pointing to the kitchen chair,
‘Sit down’.

It was a kind of ritual.
Firstly, he’d scowl at my
earring and throw in a jab,
‘You didn’t need another
hole in your head’.

I would generally nod
dumbly in agreement
moving the inquisition along,
drinking his beer.

'You think yer tough?'
'No', I’d tell him
for the 100th or so time,
not wanting to provoke
a senseless argument,
‘I’m weak as shit’.

After a few treadless jokes
he’d tell me tersely,
‘You don’t know fuck all’.

I would nod & smile
tell him he was right
& slip into my room
when he was distracted.

Later, in night I’d often
find him sitting in his chair
or sprawled on the floor snoring
sometimes in piss or vomit or shit.

I’d think of another of his aphorisms,
‘When my wife died, I died too’.


*George Anderson's blog:
http://georgedanderson.blogspot.com/