invitation to the donner party

i. the invitation

An invitation to a dinner party

Eggshell paper, finely cut

Trimmed with bone colored lace

It reads as follows

“Come across the lake

tonight at eight

We shall dance beneath

the worm moon

and feast upon meat pies

and rare steak. We shall have

a widow’s ball,” it is signed in thick, red ink

And with a persimmon kiss

The return is blank

It arrived too late

ii. the dinner

Across the woven tablecloth

Six bloodied pomegranates

Bone-dry wine

and salted lamb

for the entrée

Outside is cold and predacious

Under the tearful moon

everything is stained white

But you cannot see it

from in here

Gentle teeth enclose upon

Frost-bitten fingertips

But there is a jazz band in full swing

Six girls a gent, ten cents a dance

Twilit and balletic across a snow dusted lawn

(Out in the mountains it has gotten knee-deep)

Delirium pours freely from the champagne

Vodka, madness, caramel, absinthe

Where are you going?

iii. the host

For thirteen nights

I have trekked through the snow

And now my leather boots

Are not fit for celebration

My pants have gotten wet

And torn through with ice

When I stumble through the door

they are not taken with my emaciation

They do not ask about my wife

Nor my kids

What they feed me turns to evil

And returns

I’ve lost all taste for chocolate hens and meat pies

I loved my wife

But being late to one’s own party

Is punishable by death

I put my heart on ice

Wheeled it out for display

Kissed each invitation with persimmon

Wrote out my bloody scrawl

So quick the ink smudged on the page

Take me home, rescue party

I have a reservation at eight!