Ten wise virgins

A room with a view
           a dark room into which
light streams
           through an open window
a table laid for dinner
           silver service and fine porcelain
a room in which much human dust
           has settled

Soon host and guests will enter
           words will be moved around
chairs scraped on the floor
           there will be laughter
and few moments of silence
           amid the clink of cutlery on plates

Sometimes there is
           a definite purpose
as though the universe
           is going places
sometimes we all need
           to take a break

John Lyons