Cousin Julia

COUSIN JULIA Cousin Julia came to tea Sat aloof from our group of three Wanted no cake, crumpet or cheese Only weak tea, and black, please. Tall and rather pinched in looks With a pointed nose for looking in books Never did her pale green eyes Betray even the slightest surprise At our conversation’s turn of phrase About childhood and byegone days Or when I doubled her four-clubber And practically handed her the rubber The tedious afternoon drew to a close And Julia continued to look down her nose At all our silly conversation trivial And did little to be convivial Soon we felt like a walk on the strand And we dealt out the last hand My partner took it to four no-trump And Julia snorted as she would, the frump The rubber was lost again So we went out in the wind and rain And the strand seemed endless ahead of us Till she finally boarded her homeward bus.