Dinner With Death

We sat around the table
ladling the gravy,
passing th peas,
(Is it you that dislikes peas?
Who can remember?)
Filling our heads with
mindless conversation,
our bellies with untasted food,
our hearts with anticipatory sorrow.

We sat
and ate
and waited,
knowing that he
would come soon.
Knowing that he doesn't
have a schedule
(You can't rush these things.)

And when we were finally full
choking on potatoes,
drowning in our tea,
we noticed that he had been
there the whole time.
Cutting the ham,
and grinning like a grifter.