Dinner for Two
The island path had been overgrown
As they walked up from the pier,
A rickety wooden landing stage
With a sunken boat, quite near,
But the vines and trellises overhung
On the pathway to the house:
‘Your friend's not much of a gardener, '
Said Jack, to his new-wed spouse.
But Caitlin shrugged, and she smiled at him,
‘Once there, you'll find he's a dear,
He bought the island a year ago,
There's plenty to do out here! '
But Michael Morris was on the porch
As they staggered up on the hour,
His eyes had sparkled on greeting them,
But the edge of his mouth was sour.
She greeted him with a downcast eye,
Tried not to look in his face,
The ravage of disappointment there
Of a man who had failed in his race,
She knew that she was the source of it,
She'd only needed a friend,
But Michael had wanted too much from her
And she'd turned to Jack, in the end.
The house was like a museum piece
And he ushered his guests around,
‘It was owned by a taxidermist, so
The animals here abound! '
There were elks and bears and tiger heads
And birds, a wolf or so,
Even a couple of shrunken heads
From the wilds of Borneo!
He called to the chef to greet them both,
A hulking Blackamoor,
Complete with a beard and turban, he
Just stood at the kitchen door,
He grinned and nodded, and flashed his teeth,
And towered over them all,
‘He came with the house, I kept him on,
He's almost seven feet tall! '
There were several hours to waste before
The dinner was due to be served,
So Caitlin went to her room to change
Though Jack was a little un-nerved.
‘I'll fit you out with some jungle greens
[...] Read more
poem by David Lewis Paget
Added by Poetry Lover
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