Scott Simpson · Poetry

After the Guests Leave

Use For Kindling · source pages 84, 85

The original line breaks, stanza spacing, and placement are preserved. Long lines scroll horizontally.

Source page 84

When the house is quiet, after

chairs are pushed in and someone

left their scarf on the back of the couch—

I sit at the table.

Source page 85

The light is soft. My feet are

tired. But my heart is not.

They came. They were real. No one

sparkled, but everyone shined.

And I remember: this is

why we gather.

Not for the perfect night, but for

the scratched table and the still-warm

echo of someone saying,

“I’m so glad I came.”