Another Wedding Invite

Once again
I have been
Invited
To attend
Another
Family
Event
This time
A wedding
And you all
Know by now
How thrilled I am
On the subject
Of weddings

So what to do?
Do I attend
The wedding
And pretend
That I am happy
For the bride and groom
While all the time
Asking myself
What the hell
I am doing there
In the first place?

I have never
Had a good
Experience
Attending
Any wedding
Including my own
Most especially
Including my own

However
If I fail
To show
My face
Everyone will take notice
And everyone will know
And they will all be
Somewhat scandalized
And some will be
Genuinely hurt
While others will be insulted

The insulted ones
Will say
Well, what did you expect?
The man is a miscreant
After all
Well, I don’t know about you
But I for one
Would rather
Be called
A miscreant
Than a hypocrite

jhmarkowitz
Philadelphia, Pa. 2011