in twos and threes
decline politely to shake
hands and quickly
take their places in the den
clutching paper plates on their
knees.
It’s like an AA meeting
or a post-funeral gathering at
the home of the bereaved
only worse.
No one looks their neighbor
in the eye, no one
asks for seconds
and most importantly, above
all else
absolutely no one allows
expressions like unbalanced
or disproportionate or
asymmetrical
to come up
in casual conversation.
(Originally appeared in Deep Tissue Magazine)
