New Classic Poems – Contemporary Verse That Rhymes

New Classic Poems
Love
Rules of Engagement
Neil Harding McAlister
Our conference is winding down.
Tomorrow we’ll fly out of town.
Before we leave for places far
We kill time in this hotel bar.
A cad will fuel his manly pride
With sneaky romance on the side.
To prove I'm not that kind of louse
I’ve talked about my kids and spouse.
But even though that line’s been drawn,
It’s fun to feel that old frisson
While chatting up the other sex,
Imagining what could come next.
We’ve been around; we know the rules.
Thank goodness we’re no longer fools
Of hormones that have ceased to rage
When people reach “a certain age.”
Or maybe we just choose to see
A virtue in necessity:
We stifle yawns. I should not stay.
Tomorrow is a busy day.
So thanks for spending time with me.
You’ve been delightful company.
This is my E-mail; here’s my phone.
(I doubt you’ll call when you get home.)
I hope it won't offend you much,
Or make you think you’ve lost your touch,
If I should pack it in so soon,
And fail to walk you to your room.
Far better we avoid tonight
An awkward choice of wrong or right.
Some fantasies are best unsaid
As pleasant dreams, alone in bed.
True, nothing ventured, nothing gained;
But if Life’s cup we have not drained,
We’ll shake hands now with conscience clear –
And share another drink next year!
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