Dinner with Friends

Did you notice the calm in the air
when I mentioned our affair, complete
with details of seduction and cunnilingus
in the park, your body perspiring in the dark?
My wife pursed her lip, excused herself
and like royalty parted company, finding
composure in the vodka she hides behind the spices.
Your husband rather looked foolish, weeping
in half-eaten pasta and breathing deep.
I thought he might vomit when I mimicked your moan.
And you weren’t much help either
with your false tears and surprised face.


Originally published in Cotton Row Anthology, 1996