subtext

Where does satire start—

a half-smile?— not quite

nostalgia, not quite

a smirk, but a recognition.

or— a snide comment?—

eviscerating with a cool

pose, drink in hand singing;

not quite wobbling—

a stunned stagger

into the knife through the ribs,

laughing, as you recognize

yourself, too late?

(December 6, 2015)