It Was A Woman/Dads

by Randall Rogers

my dad always said it’s not becoming a success
that is so difficult
but maintaining your position
once you’ve reached the top

most guys fall prey to women, drink, drugs,
or laziness
and lose it
he said
another maxim of his:
“easy to buy, hard to sell”
and the old standby
“the only constant is change”

and a bartender in Phoenix
once
took one look at me
and asked me straight out:
“What is it? Money? A woman? Or the law?”
Articulating the usual reasons for heavy drinking
and suicide.

Dad never told me there’d be moments
where the best advice
is to just shut your eyes
try to think good thoughts
and ‘hold on’.
Dads don’t want to talk to their kids
about
suicide
talk about drugs and sex and other safety shit
but not much said about the old
final solution
even after it occurs
it is not mentioned,
same with dying of AIDS
I suspect.