Doris Duke

A pause
in an empty room
Wooden crossbeams vault the ceiling
Three lanterns hang, glowing,
Accented by a filigree of wrought iron leaves

We begin to set the party
Spread table clothes, damask, green and gold
Lay each setting with the utmost sense of order
Anticipating the night's entropy
Spoons arrayed like synchronized swimmers
Below saucers bearing martini glasses of chocolate mousse
Brimming with sweet potential
Empty wine glasses shine, hopeful
Three lady Dukes gaze sternly at the party about to be
Suspended in oils, forever doomed to watch
The inane chatter of academia

The guests arrive and descend upon the bar
Flanked by herons, forever frozen in steel
The waiter turns the corner with a silver tray
Parroting a word of the utmost importance:
Crabcake? Crabcake?
The call for greedy hands to snatch
And give the dull chatter a chewing reprieve.

Times are tough, even for a private school
Says the dean, apologizing for the buffet
(Instead of the usual plated dinner)
Behold, a table laden with a feast!
Plates of chicken drowned in portobello sauce
Chafing dishes cradling root vegetables
Bread and butter, rice and salad.
Pour the wine, red and white!
It's been a good year for the grape in Willamette.

Is this what we prayed for on the land?
Abundance, yes, but for the wrong hand.

They drink coffee black, destroy the mousse
The singers arrive, cheeks a-glow in youth
Voices rising with so much feeling,
Soaring toward the vaulted ceiling.

Raising no more than an eyebrow from the crowd
Who clap politely,
(But not too loud)

The guests file out

Good bye and good night!
Let's dump the glasses and blow out the lights!

Moving fast, like we would on Lace
We're not in the woods, but we'll leave no trace!

Once a party, now an empty room
With a vaulted ceiling concealing the moon.