The End of Civility

It began with a careless remark Uttered by one of the dinner guests, Which ignited fury's sudden spark! Perhaps it was better unexpressed. Politeness went out of the window, Good will left by the door, Late afternoon lost its ruddy glow, In the wake of the uproar! Amid the August mess so fine, Dinner, uneaten, grew cold. Trembling glasses, spilled the wine; The day grown quickly old. Like butterflies, were all disguised? Did they hide themselves so well? Was it here today that love died, Or long before the dinner bell? Mockingbird sings to a summer night- After the end, no turning back. Though darkness is but a shadow of the light, It is profoundly black!