Twenty for dinner
The guests young and old
Bring a bottle of red
And let the conversation unfold
We all agree the world is a horrible mess
We’ve all played a part
Yet we’re afraid to confess
Do you take a two-minute shower
Or a deep soak in the tub
Would you have an abortion
Or condemn someone who did
Do you get a new Prius every two years
Or drive an ancient gas-guzzling Humvee
And whatever you choose
Do you think you’re better than me
The soup is served cold
But temperaments run hot
What the young boy believes
Grandfather clearly does not
By dessert there is shouting from both of the groups
Their points more important – both feeling progressive
Then a young voice states quietly, well that may be so
But isn’t it regressive to be so blatantly dismissive
She lowers her gaze
And takes a sip of her water
She clears her throat to speak
She’s the prodigal daughter
Life is too complex
To operate in black and white
And should we limit our options
To being defined – Left or Right
Not one singular Identity should steal center stage
Because not one of us is more important at the end of the day
It’s not always about winning and getting our way
Unity and tolerance are about being able to live in the gray
Sadly, what she said
Might have been true
But one of the camps
Shouted over her, their point of view
—
Lynn B. Green is a British American who co-founded a real estate brokerage in Austin, Texas. In 2012 she returned to college to complete a degree in creative writing and is now writing fulltime. Her first short story, Cheese Whiz, won a thematic competition in The Knot magazine, and her poetry is published in Califragile. She was the editor of The Rio Review and is currently working on a series of short stories.
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