A Short Story

Like many before him
his church of choice was the pub.
There were so many to choose from,
and betrothal came when he drank underage.
When he married, all his mates were best men
and alcohol was the bride. The reception never ended.
With them he lost his money through holey pockets
which he felt no need to repair.
He met a woman who held her drink
better than he held his. She willed herself
to reform him by staunching his leaky pockets
through good housekeeping. He accepted her
as his second wife (not telling her about the first)
and together they bred. So much for self control.
As the children grew through dependence
they each related differently to their parents
who were estranged, but co-dependent
-each trapped by the others insular nature.
For both parents the children became the means
of evading the consequences of their actions.
So whether the trap was nature or nurture
the parents ills mutated through the children,
and made a viral virtue of their regeneration.