The Dinner Party
A LIBRARY FOR COVERS ONLY
My girl didn't want to be there.
She knew they'd only want to stare.
To please her man she took the chair.
Suffered humiliation too much to bear.
A judge at least has evidence to hear;
Who's on the mat is full of fear
And solicitors represent their dears
Or silence reigns as do the tears.
Mensa, madam, champion kick boxer
Midas, mentor, nought to out-fox her.
Faithful friend of all and sundry
Laughing, sparking, making fun free.
He who'd met her would pay to date her
Save that his missus could only hate her.
No strings attached, no obligation.
Honest, open, needs recognition.
He entertains all in excellence
Wit, humour, ambivalence
Basking in his loyalty,
Easy with his duplicity.
How cruel, how condescending
Face to face with this pretending.
Hypocrisy's tentacles extending
To humiliate your host, insulting.
Host to defensive explanation?
Host to other's apprehension?
Host to judge a first impression?
Host to social indiscretion?
The atmosphere endearing.
Why then the peer thing?
Feasting proving
It was good eating.
Here and there to do the serving,
Pour the drinks, observing,
Care to conversation growing
Tending egos overflowing.
Gracefully withdrawing
All inside her boiling
Confidently clearing
The remnants of their eating.
Then disappearing -
Heart torn with loathing
Challenging her believing
"Nothing but a chameleon".
Give him and inch and he takes a mile.
There's no way he's going to make me smile
I can not think of any situation -
Any disadvantage that I'd not out wit him.
Confine the talk to generalities
Listen to his tortured banalities.
React to every other personality
Make him seem like an abnormality.
This is what my man admires.
He's so protective of my conspires.
How could I ever change for the better
(- just so long as I get the odd letter -)
My man admires the way I humble him.
Makes him stronger - the man in him.
Then I'm free to have a fling
Happy with my masquerading.
It's kind of like he sees right through you.
Blind of course. We belong to the few.
Chosen for our high intelligence
Deep thinkers of utmost diligence.
So long as rates are levied on the populace
We can shuffle books; discuss Copernicus.
You know, the one star gazers love,
The one where you look down from above.
But in the end it all backfired.
We'd overlooked "to be inspired".
We were hung by what transpired
Belittling what he most admired.
Confirming with him what he wanted
For me to see I was confronted
With an unrequited passion for
Real freedom; "not for the poor".
It dawned on my one. I felt the glare.
She's taken sides. Get out of here.
She wants to stay. Mine, he stares.
Host lights up a cigar, declares
Unspoken but oh so clear.
It's time for all to repair
The inner bit, the despair.
Gets none of us anywhere.
Facing the unbearable
Coming home rope able.
"That bastard deplorable -
That bastard queer and all.
That bitch in her tower
And he in her power"
Considerately they discover
Only the fool reads the book by the cover.