cartoons were a kind of Bible
inside the music a gala
of fleeting buzzing bells
I’m distracted
in my present
situation
looking at the world
from the periphery of wine
glasses stashes of
amusements
laughing
gutted fabrics worn
I swore I said
I’d wait for you
I’m sorry I’m
ten years too late
for the wedding
I euthanized
lips I sipped
from goblets
the weight
on the tray
I could not
carry
(originally published in Peeking Cat Poetry, Spring 2019)