West Tisbury Town Party, by Dan Waters

With the kind permission of Dan Waters, here is the poem he read on Dec 9, 2008 at the West Tisbury town party. 

West Tisbury Town Party

When beetlebungs stand bare of bough
And winter stings the air,
And woodsmoke hangs on Brandy Brow
Like wisps of thinning hair,
We waken hungry for a bite
Like some gigantic beast
And tie our kitchen aprons tight
And cook a town-wide feast.

It's quite the neighborly affair -
Warm kisses, mug to mug,
No lack of pies or news to share
With mothball-perfumed hug.
We fill our ears and stuff our face
With casserole and rumor,
And loosen belts for breathing space
To laugh at Skipper's humor.

And what's the potluck's main appeal?
Well, often it's a tossup:
Part cheap night out, part home-cooked meal,
Part good old-fashioned gossip.
We chew the fat; we laugh, complain -
It's almost like Town Meeting,
Except that here the stomach pain
Is caused by too much eating.

At last, when all's been said and chewed,
We end the night's adventure
And take a peaceful interlude
To rest both tongue and denture
Before we launch the second round
With palates hale and hearty
At Tom and Katherine's world-renowned
Hibernal Solstice Party!

© Daniel Waters