Old Soak, and Hail And Farewell

Published in 1921, during the early days of Prohibition, Hail and Farewell is a poignant and humorous collection of poems celebrating alcohol, drunkenness, and the culture surrounding them. In The Old Soak, an elderly curmudgeon schemes to procure liquor in a dry world. Blending narrative with excerpts from The Old Soaks writings, the piece reveals his reflections on a bygone era. “Im writing a diary—a chronicle of the past, an almost gol-dinged autobiography of my adventures with Old King Booze before he shuffled off this mortal coil and took one of my feet with him. Soon, no one will remember what a classic barroom was like. Future generations will come across the word ‘saloon’ and be left to wonder, scratching their heads at what it truly meant.” “Have you got any of it written?” we inquired. “Here’s the start of it,” he replied. We present it just as the Old Soak penned it. - Summary by TriciaG & from the text