Abandoned
Claire Scott

Abandoned by gods of all stripes & shapes
even minor gods like Asclepius & Atropos
the gods hoping to find more favorable followers
wealthy enough to fill coffers
or fawning enough to caress colossal egos

More time to savor mojitos, pina coladas
& margaritas, lurching through
The Craft of Cocktails & Alcoholic’s
Field Guide to the Promised Land
sometimes too blitzed, blasted, blotto

To limp through another day
my life a clusterfuck, a shit show
pathologically pathetic & certifiably ridiculous
sharing a shambolic space with empty bottles
& rotting lemon rinds

I turn to YouTube to find a tranquil tune
to calm the hammering in my head
& there is Andrea Bocelli singing “Amazing Grace”
a blind man reading music in Braille
offering gratitude to God

& I wonder if the gods have abandoned me
or is it I who have abandoned them

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Claire Scott’s Comments

As an OMG 80-year-old Granny, I find I am reflecting more and more on an ever-diminishing future. I no longer see myself as a Christian, but I grew up in a Christian family and still feel deep roots in that religion. As in “Abandoned,” I happened to hear Andrea Bocelli singing “Amazing Grace” on YouTube. The words “was blind but now I see” were deeply moving and opened a window for me during a difficult time.

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