Her vodka-laced pronouncements stung br my eyes with breath of Russian fire— br the words escaped, and, as they hung br aloft, ballooned and drifted higher. br br I watched them hover overhead br like bubbles from a comic strip, br containing all the words she said, br each barb presented as a quip; br br but comments with a crooked smile br ring true when mixed with alcohol. br A spirit (with a shot of bile) br is deadly when the glass is tall.