Daughters of The Bottle

until i was twenty-two
i didn't think anyone else
had a drunk for a mother
then i met lori joannie and susan
i recognized them immediately
by their stay away smiles
they were leaders in their work
competent imposters
like me
who would say they were sorry
if somebody bumped into them
on a crowded street
i call on them
once in a while
they always come
children of alcoholics
always do

--Jane, adult child
taken from It Will Never Happen To Me (Black, Claudia; 1981).