Welcome To The Party

The sign says, “Welcome to the party”,
 a thousand jukeboxes spray music 
from the ground, 
from the sky, 
from behind the curtain 
where the wizards hide.

The odors of ammonia and lilacs, 
mask the stench of the mess 
in the dark alley out back
Bullets dance and glance 
by the soles of high-heeled shoes 
on the sidewalks, 
yelling, “Dance, motherfucker, dance.”

Then, cake is served,
chocolate with buttercream icing,
 rainbow sprinkles
 and for a moment the stray cat smiles
And purrs,
producing a patch of marshmallows, pillows and clouds
to break our fall.
Looking up
it’s a kaleidoscope so novel,
the shapes and colors go unnoticed, until

Boom, boom, boom
Quiet days of lounging on the wicker chairs in the Sun,
 	gone,
 	when the 7 ft. 350 lb. DJ appears. 
For some, the party’s over
for others, just beginning,
the many that need a crutch to stand
break out in halleluja - our savior.

There's only one door out of this party
a one-way door 
and there’s no stamp to get back in.
There’s no way to tell if the clouds are inside or outside, 
but the rain falls nonetheless.