Consolation Prizes
You take the ceramic rooster with a smile,
Pretending you’ve a place for it at home;
Your friend won the fluorescent garden gnome—
Maybe a trade would make the night worthwhile.
The losers leave the building single file
While winners load TVs and start to roam,
Seeking the nearest Starbucks for a foam–
Topped latte—GPS says one-tenth mile.
You set your rooster by the Buddha clock.
You see Ed’s passed out cold from watching news,
Surrounded by crushed empties on the rug,
While some dumb bitch on FOX spouts fascist views.
The consolation prize was not a shock—
You heft it, watching him . . . then give a shrug.
(2014)
