too much introspection

Too much introspection can be bad for the soul,
once we out everything into line, direction
and flight, then lost it all in the bar afterwards
till the hobby became occupation and
we became souls preoccupied with hobby horses
of nervous gloomy appetite,
nights spent sullen and sunk in ourselves
drinking from dirty public glasses
or from the neck at home,
reckless, hopeless, wasting our lives and the love
of others-
how much help we needed over each hurdle,
how much chivvying support we shall never repay-
seeing the whole world in a mirror, toasting
these self-evident truths in the toothglass
unequal to the task of morning.

written 13th March 1981

© John Close