So as I was going through the poems written by Sam Sax, I was trying to find something that stood out to me. As I know from my last blog about Sax, he is somewhat deranged (at least in his writing) and seems to come from a troubled past. So I wanted to look for something that could provide more information about the writer as well as where he is currently. Then I saw the title “On Alcohol” and knew that would be my next blog topic.
The first line is “my first drink was in my mother”. At this point I completely understood how this poem was going to go. His mother was an irresponsible alcoholic, and Sax would surely follow in her footsteps. He says that he was given alcohol as a child; whether it be to cure a cold or just out of the blue. He says that he has woken up so many times with a hangover, still as a child.
Sax would continue drinking as he grew older. He overdosed and blames half of it on alcohol, and the other on drugs. He would try to sober up, but he would lose someone every time he did and revert right back to alcohol. He goes on to say that his grandfather died “with a whisky bottle in his hand” showing how extreme alcohol has affected his life for the worst.
Now that I know more about Sax, I feel bad for him. He was put on a path that never had any other route available. I guess I will have to go find another poem to see where he goes from this point, either forwards or backwards.
This is so sad. That's terrible that he was given drinks when he was little & so much that he would wake up with a hangover:(( That's so traumatizing; he didn't even get a chance to overcome addiction because he was introduced to alcohol before he understood what addiction even was.
ReplyDeleteThis is really heartbreaking, as of course many addictions can come from someone's upbringing or background. It's even worse that for Sax, the influence started during his childhood. And like Dana said, he himself probably didn't understand what was wrong with the alcohol and what this influence would turn into, so vulnerable and clueless to its harm :( At least he has a way with poetry to communicate his feelings/experiences and use it as an emotional outlet.
ReplyDeleteomg this is so sad. I don't know if you know but my brother's biological dad died of an overdose a couple of years ago so it runs really close to home. I always feel awful for people who were just dealt bad cards in life and develop an addiction or a mental health issue because of something they couldn't control like their childhood.
ReplyDeleteThis is so upsetting :( It always hurts my heart to see the consequences alcohol, drugs, etc. can have on anyone, but I can't imagine a child going through that. He was young and naïve and alcohol ultimately ruined his family, and to some degree, himself, too. It can be too easy to forget that artists in any field have a life behind their work, so I really commend you for choosing a piece of his that highlights his upsetting life circumstances. It must've been difficult to read and process this :(
ReplyDeleteOh wow. This poor man. The poor child he was. The whole family and their struggle with addiction is so sad and yet such a common story. I look forward to learning with you about where he's gone and how he's worked to fight it.
ReplyDeleteThis is so so sad. I know that problems with drugs and alcohol run in many families, but I've never heard of anyone literally providing it for their child for no reason at all. It's crazy how some people are brought up on a certain path that they end up never leaving throughout their life.
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