I Went to a Party

tatiana de la tierra

parked like books on a crowded shelf,
cars mingle on asphalt and grass,
greeting me right at half past twelve

I walk in like a girl on jazz
a girl looking for girls tonight,
with eyes that scrutinize and pass

plastic glasses click in low light
gold-studded heels dance abandon
clashing with terrazzo floor, white

women are proper and wanton,
a mixture of sex and seltzer
fingering trays with nuts and buns

I wonder if I could deter
the one who strikes me silly, her

1996

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Originally published:

de la tierra, tatiana.  “I Went to a Party.”  Velvet 1:1 2004:  27.