my friend Tom always understood me,
even at the times
when I scared
myself.
I was always screaming for an audience
up on a guitar amp
and then I’d drink too much
and quiet down from the pills.
Tom just sat there smiling
sipping a dark beer
enjoying it,
watching me go sweaty and crazy,
knowing that we’d both end up at the same place.
and that’s what I learned after my youth passed me by.
I wanted to be great, but never proved it
with more than words,
and by 25 the only thing I was running
on was caffeine.
Tom wanted to be the best average person he could be
and always had been
since the day I’d met him.
and as much as I hate people
who have figured out how to be happy,
Tom is one
that I think deserves it