Tea Party and Other Poems

Tea Party

Let us be civil for once,

And, between sips of sugar

And spoonfuls of tea,

Talk about civil matters,

Such as the link between apple pie

And the universe,

Or why politicians need wings,

Or how to stroke a porcupine.

I will be the hatter

And you, the hare,

Never mind Alice,

This is not Wonderland.

And never mind if a slice of the moon

Is missing.

(We can always make it up with a slice of cheese.)

You will not point

At the doors on my legs,

And I will not pick

At the roses between your toes.

I will bring my glass

Against yours

And we will rise

To the national mayhem.

The cups will speak in rhythm,

The spoons will speak in rhyme,

The dolls will speak in Latin,

And I,

In splendid gibberish.

But when the tide rises,

When the walls crumble into salt,

When the foam touches

The edges of the tablecloth,

We will have to part.

The fish can have the mud pies,

And the mules,

The remaining packets of tea.

But right before I leave,

I will finish

The last drop of quicksilver

And dance

With the empty

Teacups.