20151110 (parties)

My persona must be way too 

Serious for parties even though

I’m not but it’s been a long time

Since I’ve been to one most now

Have to serve some cause other

Than cheery socializing fund raising 

Can take the joy out of an event

Quicker than a clogged toilet or 

Plunking some poor soul for office 

Worst feature one star all the rest 

Plebes sixpacks and schmoes 

Too much like lining up 

For autographs does anyone do

That anymore I prefer gathering

Strangers where you can say

Hello to someone next to you

Discover who they are what they

Do speculate on whether they’re 

Lying to impress you if they’re 

All singles then there’s too much

Pressure to match up closest I ever

Got to something like that was when

My ex- invited her friends to a slide 

Show of pictures from her

Three weeks in Africa I enjoyed

Meeting them though I sensed they 

Weren’t comfortable with me the

Novelty of the new husband 

This was shortly after we’d wed

Slide shows were good if brief 

Amusing sadly she felt it better 

To give every pic two minutes 

Or more of fairly pedantic lecture

I withheld judgment one carousel 

Would have been plenty but she’d so 

Much to share you could sense

Their unease excusing themselves 

Early on fleeing like rats from a ship 

Sinking without benefit of Nearer 

My God to Thee played in the

Background desserts should have 

Come out after the thirtieth slide 

It would have been so more pleasant 

To let them go with just a taste 

Of the venture a sweet some coffee

Perhaps hear their comment

Instead a second carousel popped 

In place out of nowhere by then 

Who cared if the Mande regional 

Blacksmiths made hinges the 

Same way for two thousand years 

Somewhere some wiseass drunk 

Forgetting to preserve the old ways

Should have by accident done 

Something clever no they kept faith 

With the status quo perhaps knowing

Twentieth century ersatz anthropologists 

Would spend more money watching 

Them blow on coals just as the first 

Of their clan did years ago from 

That night to now I’ve been somewhat

Wary of parties

c. J.S.Manista, 2015