"Kate" by Mary Soon Lee

Kate

Mary Soon Lee

Her glass is full to brimming

but she can't take that first sip,

although they have progressed

to the main course

and only the awkwardness

of a first date

is keeping her companion

from asking why she won't drink.

But how can she drink

when that clear deep sweetness

leads straight to an empty glass?

     

And it's no good saying

she could order a second,

because it won't have the savor

of that first red swallow,

and even that first swallow

will be tainted with the knowledge

that a different wine

might have been better.

Or a different man.

Or even this man,

if only she'd found him sooner.

Poet’s Notes:  This is an entirely invented poem. I don't drink alcohol. I didn't ever go on this type of first date but I do feel sympathy for the imaginary Kate. For the record, I met my husband at university, when he was eighteen and I was seventeen. The closest we came to dating was to go together to meetings of the university science fiction club.

Editor’s Note:  I enjoy that way Mary uses the wine conceit to capture that awkward second guessing that is part of every first date, particularly in these times when online hook-ups are increasingly common.