Insipid Soiree

[Vignette]

Contrived conversation.
Hor d’oeuvres with frilly toothpicks.
Chintzy cocktail napkins.
Alcohol in plastic cups.
Crusty smirks with cloak-and-dagger eyes.
Stale jokes.
Uneasy laughter.

Silent games with silent rules.
Haughty etiquette.
Shallow pretense.
Fiction at every turn.

Strutting with flair.
An approving glance,
a grin,
says all there is to say.

Welcome to polite society.

[MorpheusSandman]

I love the satire in this, and you definitely nail down the maliciously sinister shadowplay behind all the airs of "polite society" as you call it. I like that you save the telling verb to the last stanza. Overall it's a very good piece.

[Vignette]

MS - thank you so much for your feedback - I appreciate it!

[Delta40]

one can even hear the soft piano in the background!

[Vignette]

Delta - that's what I forgot - the music!! Thank you, I need to revise it now! :-)

[Delta40]

Your poem was really effective enough to place me there. I rather think if you put in every detail, then there is nothing left for the reader to imagine.

[Vignette]

I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes sense. I had thought that more details were better for the reader, but you make a good point about not going overboard, so the reader is free to use their own imagination.

[Jerrybaldy]

polite society. makes me want to start a hors d'oeuvre fight and get naked :D Nice job Vignette.

[Vignette]

Jerry, what a great idea! That'll turn polite society on its ear - Lol. Thank you for your comments and for the good chuckle. :-)