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A Feast of Trust

We have come to the table
Of the earth, sistren and brethren
From all corners, the proletariat to the bourgeoisie,
Here - like lambent light,
Flickering for a few precious moments.
We fetch cups of the finest libation
And lolligag and entertain the hours away.

And then the Barmecidal feast comes,
Served on invisible platters, and we indulge,
Oh how we sink our teeth in with pleasure until
A few of us have meteorisms, or just laughing gas,
And we walk wanton onto the particularly wet lawn,
And flip a coin to see who might dance in the fountain of youth
And who might retire, pooped from the gaiety
Of life among strangers - who became
Less strange and more strange
As the years passed.

Then God says take my robe, grab a bath,
And join me by the hearth.

We have some rad stories to tell.

--

Mad Words List 6.26.18

Pooped (as in tired)
Fetch
Flip
Particularly
Proletariat
Bourgeoisie
Barmecidal
Sistren
Lolligag
Lambent
Meteorism
Rad
Gaily

--

This list was collected by asking the question, “What's a word you wish would come back into fashion or you wish people used more?” Sometimes words go out of style or are sorted into the trash bin of time and place and are forgotten. I would like to give them another moment in the sun, just like the peonies from last week.

When someone offers a Barmecidal feast to your word list, you see if the world is willing to play along.

This poem reminds me of something like a Greek symposium or college in America. But underlying the images is a message of how every friendship starts by trusting the other person, including the one you may or may not have with God.

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