I do not drink

I've somewhat mentioned this before, how odd in my social circle of LA me not drinking used to be. Specially when I'd just moved out to LA. It's the problem with stereotyping. A free spirited creative and independent person who is rebelling must also experiment with drugs among other things. In all fairness it's also what's expected of a collage student in American society and that is exactly where I'd landed. Thus, the shock of 'You don't drink! ever?!" would lead to 'why not?' And if you ask me the same question enough, it's a safe bet that there will eventually be a poem about it. Which is how, this one came to be :

If one ever wanted to see me inebriated

despite the fact I would never drink

drugs are not what one would need

just hand me a rustic old book

or sprinkle some water on dry land

let me be lost in a meadow somewhere

or sing on a swing in a garden green

let me listen to Kirtan

or the simple silence

nothing more is needed

nothing more is required

even just a child's laugh

would do me in

for there are far better intoxications

than a mere drink.

Now of course, I have friend circle that got formed over the years. And I've hardly answered this question my own self in a long while among with 'What's a Sikh?' or 'You don't cut your hair?!' Joys of having good friends. But as when we do hangout and do crazy, happy fun things that leads to my imagination writing tiny stories of why is something the way it is. It's become somewhat of a running joke where my friends go "I promise you she's not drunk." Joanne did it just last Friday when I made up stories for why all the names given to streets we passed were all wrong. Like Oxnard. There are no Oxen's that live on Oxnard! and it doesn't take you to Oxnard (the city)! So why call it Oxnard? Imagine driving around LA with me. It's my roadside commentary. And we have loads of fun with it. So who cares if anyone who does over hear us thinks we are crazy. It's our slice of happiness that you don't have to share if you don't want to. But it's your loss really.