Going to the Jones’s br Seven o’clock, not to be too br Sharp, the chit chat’s in br br The oven, slow broil br Never rare, never well br Always somewhere in the br br Undetectable middle br Timers spinning backwards br From the start, the choicest slice br br Of evening piled in br Candle wax, left dripping br While feet twiddle br br Nervously beneath the table br Shoes aching for release br Bleary lips drambuied br br Into not knowing why br Two forks contest dessert br The stain of coffee on br br White linen marks the br Leaving, too late to br Retreat from bald replies. br br br (Previously published in The 13th Warrior Review, Asterius Press, Vol.