Praying Drunk

Andrew Hudgins' 'Praying Drunk' is a lyric poem that follows a speaker's nocturnal wandering as a vehicle for grappling with faith, longing, and the human tendency toward self-destructive consolation.

The poem juxtaposes the speaker's shame and spiritual yearning through striking images and candid voice.

Hudgins often blends formal craft with confessional material, and this poem exemplifies his interest in the uneasy intersections of religion and quotidian experience.

'Praying Drunk' invites readers into the messy honesty of spiritual doubt while demonstrating disciplined poetic technique.

The poem is frequently anthologized as a contemporary example of faith-inflected American lyric.