come on over

You’re all invited over.
Come on over.
Now is good, yes now.

Have a seat at the table.
[We once fit 10 people around this table.]
Settle in and feel welcome.
You are.

Welcome in,
after work,
after the play,
after watching
the kids, after
the protest, after
the shoot, after
after after all.

Have a drink. Or a water. Or a sparkling water.
Red wine, a Peroni, a Carlsberg tall boy,
a seltzer, a martini,
we’ll make you whatever you want.
Whatever. You. Want.
I’ve had two of one of those things.
I’ll take one more, please.

Candles dripping wax onto the table again,
worry about the music bothering Judy upstairs again,
the buzzer buzzing who-is-it? again,
and run to the bodega for more beers again,
the girls-as-babies, fast asleep,
again.

Talk, talk, talk
and then music takes over and
then you get sleepy and
then talk a little more and
wake up and
realize you are a subway ride
or a short walk away from your bed.