a day after, the emptiness

a pledge of allegiance
whiskey and hot wine
love confessions from a greek goddess
gay chatter, flirting and gazing
and in the backyard of the old french house
the young girls come and go
talking about cacciatore

from the gazebo
everyone looks so cool
when the party is so avant-garde
new hairdos and unbelievable outfits
people go up and down the stairs
bouncing to the beat of electroclash
let me in, he said

liberty, equality, fraternity,
hot saki, pizza, vintage cupcakes
a weird sense of accomplishment
followed by the indisputable truth
of vacuous, sheer emptiness
the day after

well done she said, with a kiss
well done


tom s. legrand (Portland, OR, 1976)