I can see the people having a good time,
dancing and fondling each other,
waving to Jesus as he belts out the words.
But I can’t hear what Mary’s surprise is saying.
Perhaps this is for the best–
when has a true party
ever been captured by language?
Everyone claps their hands,
falling in love with what they have left,
the song that no one hears
shining in their eyes.
Carl Mayfield’s most recent chapbook is High Desert Cameos. His poems have been published within his lifetime, which still shocks him a little, having no desire for people to look at him.
In Between Hangovers 