Boldness—you’ve always admired it in others. The way they

Enter and navigate a room, appear nourished rather than 

Numbed by each handshake and kiss, how easily they                                             

Elicit laughter from a crescent of matrons.

Delicately they inquire about the health of your parents, your

Investments and plans for the summer.

Chuffed that they have graced your table, you

Toast their back as they swan onto the dancefloor, now

Invaded by the adulterous and the athletic.                              

Overcoat retrieved, you exit via the kitchen, the

Night air refreshing memories of when Daphne was still alive.