After The Parade

After The Parade – The Drive Home

String lights and decorations- setting up tables and chairs,

Food preparation, cleaning up and down the stairs.

Drinks on ice, food on the cooker and grill,

Laughter, and music vibe well, as people mingle and chill.

Days before hard work, late nights put in,

In such short time, with few hours the party will end.

A host, so much to do - go, go, go,

Music, dancing, fun fills the air while the guest and crowd grow.

A daze, a fog, or just hosting the night away?

For people to enjoy, extending the stay.

The night begins to fade, lights begin to glitter and glare,

Tipsy, drunken stumbling, mumble if you dare.

The night is fading and guest are leaving,

Hearts are numb, stable, and grieving.

All the hard work is coming to an end,

Saying long extended good-byes to those friends.

Jim got lost in the port-a-john,

Urinated on the floor, wet and asking for his friend, Ron.

From time to time those extra drinks catch up,

Stumbling around as some how holding 2 solo cups.

Was there conversation? Short words, small groups, yet many faces,

A bump and small talk to the personal spaces.

All the preparation, all the late nights,

Decorations and continued string lights.

Sue drank to much and on the dance floor,

Falling down, her pants ripped and tore.

A crowd of many, groups small, small talk, for the drive,

A party to sit and chill, from the time those arrive.

For such work, to clean up days to come,

A large crowd fading in to a hand full to some.

Longest chit-chat is saying good-bye,

Oh the joy, fun, a few hours, how time sure does fly.

For the drive home, back to me,

Same routine, same life as it will be.

Now the purpose, prompts, and plan,

Clean up, trash, left behind chairs, and two extra cooking pans.

All the setup work, looking over the yard,

Everything is done, as the drive home is hard.

Short lived evening once again,

The drive home another tired, late night it has been.

A thought that 364 days, to prepare and organize is far from mind,

Happy moments in short rewind.

The drive home to get in bed,

Climb in bed- pillow and blank cover the head.

To sleep and rest is the plan,

The drive home, arrival- a thank you prayer to the higher power man.

Time spent was just a blur, as time has left the mind,

Close the eyes and dreams I find.

Tomorrow The drive home is a reminder- its me,

Back to life, routine, is what will be.