Sparkapolooza

Incognito by Kate Toon

I wish I were invisible or could crawl back in my shell
Right now this situation is my kind of living hell
‘Hello Jen, yes how are you?’ I say with a weak smile
Gulping back the sickly taste of acidic nervous bile

I hand out all the vol au vents pretending not to see
The way that awful Clive licks his lips and leers at me
Then I scurry to the kitchen to check on the first course
My nails tap on the worktop in some frantic sort of Morse

S.O.S. I’m screaming, just silently inside
Oh please God let the house burn down and let me run and hide
But dinner must be served and I must impress Geoff’s boss
Though really, if I’m honest, I couldn’t give a toss

My face is a fixed grimace as I top up Susan’s gin
Trying to repress the hatred deep within
This night will soon be over and I’ll escape to bed
Until then I am prisoner, trapped inside my head