When I happily planned
our lavish Christmas party
I had no inkling
We would experience
a shocking surprise
We lovingly decorated
our magnificent tree
Sparkling with starry lights
sequined angels, bells,
and shiny silver tinsel
We hired a popular singer
with an acoustical keyboard
A caterer was interviewed
promising delicious dishes
The invitations stated 5:30
At 5 o’clock we were ready
Dressed in our festive best
At 5:15 no caterer in sight
I felt a rising panic
At 5:20 I frantically thought
of ordering lots of pizzas
We anxiously waited longer
The musician was warming up
A full bar offered tempting drinks
At 5:30 the first guests arrived
At 5:35 two people showed up
carrying a toaster oven
Unbelievably, they placed
this tiny appliance in our garage
intending to feed 55 guests
They embarrassingly explained
the caterer had overbooked
Serving an afternoon wedding
I felt stunned, disappointed, mad,
But also laughing
at the absurdity of it
The music was booming
Liquor flowed freely
People were dancing
Finally, platters of food
Emerged sporadically
from the garage
The hungry guests pounced
Eating everything the minute
It was placed on the table
The promised delicacies
were way too late
and way too little
Causing witty comments
Guests may have left
a little hungry
But all felt exuberant
In spite of the bombed caterer
We had a wonderful time
Who would have guessed
Our detailed arranged affair
was made more fun by a
bizarre surprise