Feast Poem by Kelly Vinal

All around we gather,
Still the one suspected least -
The banquet table, Cromwell seats,
For kings and royalty.
All around we congregate,
Each, a manifestation of me -
What conflicts me;
What constricts me;
What constructs me.
The lieutenant is determination,
The governor is wise -
The lady in the gown and pearls
Is every missed sunrise -
The devil is temptation,
The child, discovery -
That pauper at the very end
Is my humility -
The jester is my wit, the
Olympian, my drive -
The leper in the corner’s hope,
And keeping us alive -
At the head is pride,
And pride, well, that is me -
My chair is gold and emerald-studded,
Silk upholstery -
One by each, we nod and sit,
The one suspected least -
To cast our eyes at the unveiling
Of a wild and conquered beast -
Anger.
Anger is that beast.

And so we sit and feast.

*From the book: Vapours of Promise, ©2004 - ISBN 1-59526-352-7