Three widows
and two wives with their husbands
sit at their table,
(Number 15 of 18)
eating Italian food.

The men talk golf.
The widows talk death.
The wives swallow hard.

SAINT TERESA’S BI-ANNUAL-KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS-“TASTE OF ITALY”-DINNER!

(Raising contributions
for Hurricane Florence victims.)

The guests are retired
snowbirds and gray-heads
with their walkers,
their sad stories
and their optimistic plans.

The widows work the room
with their lip-biting gloom.

The wives worry their souls
with their unspoken fears.

The men wash down the inevitable
with their second and third beers.