Horace Gregory
THE UNWILLING GUEST:
AN URBAN DIALOGUE
-How still, how very still the air
is,
As
though it waited,
is
still waiting
For the clock to strike. Did you see that shadow
Fall behind the clock, behind the white face
Of the dial?
-No.
-Will you have a drink?
-No.
-Another cigarette?
-No.
-If
I lift the curtain you can see
Three Spaniards, a Welsh Albino and a Levantine Greek
Drinking their hearts away. One wears
A newly rented evening gown. I can almost
Hear them singing. Did you say something?
-No.
-That's half the charm of living
In the city. Do you expect to stay here long?
-You must remember it is a holiday: the
Coronation of another half-century,
-No.
And nearly midnight. The snow
is
falling lightly,
Carefully drifting, yet the room is very warm:
