Before we moved home my wife and I hosted a New Year Party with usually over twenty attending.   We introduced the old fashioned entertainment of singing, poetry, story telling.   I wrote the following after the last one.

~~NEW YEAR AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

THE LONG ROOM AWAITED
GLITTERING AND GOLD
TABLE PREPARED TO ENSURE GUESTS WERE SATED
WINE PRESENTED ENSURING THE WHITES WERE COLD
A LAST LOOK ROUND, THE HOSTS WERE ELATED
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

GUESTS ARRIVING COATS UNTANGLED
AND HUNG ON HOOKS JACK HAD PREPARED IN ABUNDANCE
BAGS OF GOODIES FROM WRISTS DANGLED
A QUICK KISS, GOOD TO SEE YOU, THEY MAKE THEIR ENTRANCE
OBVIOUS PLEASURE THAT THERE WAS NOTHING NEW FANGLED
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

SLOWLY THE SILENCE CHANGED TO PRATTLE
AS THOSE ATTENDING GREETED EACH OTHER
EVERYONE RELAXED FOR THERE WAS MUCH TITTLE TATTLE
FATHER WITH FATHER AND MOTHER TO MOTHER
THE CONSTANT EXCHANGES MADE THE PLATES RATTLE
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

MEAT PIES, PUDDINGS, SAUSAGES, GRACED THE TABLE
AND MORE
EYES GREW ROUND AS THEY SAW THE DÉCOR,  IT WAS NO FABLE
FOR THERE WAS MUCH TO ADORE
GENTLEMEN SOPHISTICATES AND LADIES SO LOVABLE
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

SUFFICIENCY WAS AT LAST ACHIEVED, AT LEAST FOR THE FOOD
WINE CONTINUED TO FLOW AND CONVERSATION MELLOWED
THE HOSTS CONSIDERED AND DECIDED RIGHT WAS THE MOOD
JACK THEN BELLOWED’
THE CABARET BEGINS AND, NO ONE BOOED
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

FIRST TO FACE THE FOOTLIGHTS, NO OTHER BUT HARRY
‘BEAUTIFUL DREAMER’ WAS HIS CHOICE OF RENDITION
HIS VOICE WHILST TENDER OH! HOW IT DID CARRY
NO ONE COULD DENY HOW FINE HIS CONDITION
HOW COULD OTHER ‘TURNS’ PARRY
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

NEXT THE HOSTS WITH A ROMANTIC DUET
‘REMEMBERING IT WELL’ WAS THE THEME
WITH APOLOGIES TO LERNER AND LOEWE HOPING THEY WOULD’NT RUE IT
JACK AND JACKIE WORKING AS A TEAM CARRYING IT OFF WITH SMILES ABEAM
RECEIVED THE APPLAUSE THANKFULLY, THEY HADN’T BLEW IT
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

NEXT THE SURPRISE A POEMIC READING, BY FRANKIE
GLORIOUS THOUGH SHE BE, WITH JOHN WATCHING
DEFINITELY NO HANKY PANKY
THOUGH THE THEME WAS DISMEMBERMENT SHE WAS SO EYE CATCHING
THE HUMOUR WAS SUCH THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A HANKY
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

WITH MIDNIGHT APPROACHING THERE WAS NEED FOR A RING
THE KNOCK AT THE DOOR WAS AWAITED
THEN IT CAME AND WITHOUT A THOUGHT FOR ANYTHING
HARRY ENTERED WITH HIS GIFTS SO WELL RATED
AULD LANG SYNE RANG OUT FROM THE GATHERING
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

NEXT CAME A FIERY AND NOISY INTERLUDE
JOHN, AT HIS CALM, CONTROLLED BEST
PREPARED AND FIRED OFF CANNON AFTER CANNON INTO THE EVENTUDE
OVER HIS SHOULDER, BETWEEN HIS LEGS, THANK GOODNESS HE DIDN’T GO WEST
HIS FORTITUDE AND PERSEVERANCE SHOWED HE’S A DUDE
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

NEXT CAME A GENTLE PERIOD OF TIME
GLIDING, ASCENDING, TWO PAPER LANTERNS ALIGHT
THE FIRST WAS CAUGHT BY A TREE IN IT’S PRIME
THE SECOND ZOOMED OFF INTO THE ETHER WITH THE FLAME BURNING BRIGHT
THE EFFORTS OF THE ‘MONTGOLFIERS’ WE CANNOT MALIGN
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

A BRIEF VISITATION BY DAISY OCCURRED, MUCH ADO
A MOMENT OF EXCITEMENT WITH HUGS AND KISSES
THEN, NOTHING WAS HEARD, SHE’D GONE, TOODELOO
BACK TO THE WINING, EATING WAS OVER, ONLY THE DISHES
WHAT’S TO BE DONE, YE KEN, THE NOO
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

NOW THE DEPARTURES SO SAD BUT SO RIGHT
COATS DONNED, KISSES AND HUGS
WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT, BUT EYES STILL SO BRIGHT
WRAPPED UP WARMLY LIKE SO MANY RUGS
CRYING BEHIND THEM, GOOD NIGHT, GOOD NIGHT
AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

REGARDING THE SCENE, QUIET AND ALONE
T’WERE GOOD WEREN’T IT WAS THE JOINT THOUGHT
WE’VE EATEN SO MUCH WE MIGHT INCREASE BY A STONE
BUT EVEN SO, SUCH PLEASURE, COULD NOT BE BOUGHT
WITHOUT SUCH FRIENDS AS WE HAVE IN OUR PLEASURE ZONE
HERE, AT JACK AND JACKIE’S PLACE

© Jack Purvis OOPs