The Party

By Steve Denehan

---

I stand in the corner

drink in hand

a prop really

something to swirl

something to look at

I look up, for a cursed half second

and catch eyes with someone

they smile

knowingly

I return that knowing smile

while wondering how heavy

a small handgun would feel in my hand

while dreaming of shooting each one

of their gleaming, white teeth

right out of their head

then that familiar bolt of reality strikes

I remember that I do not own a gun

have never even held one

that I, that no one, would be an accurate enough shot

that inevitably, the new carpet

would be ruined

---

Steve Denehan lives in Kildare, Ireland with his wife Eimear and daughter Robin. Recent publication credits include Better Than Starbucks, Fowl Feathered Review, The Blue Nib, The Opiate, The Hungry Chimera, Poetry Quarterly, Evening Street Review, The Folded Word, Ink In Thirds, Crack The Spine, The Cape Rock, Visions International and Third Wednesday.  He has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize and his chapbook, "Of Thunder, Pearls and Birdsong" is available from Fowlpox Press