"New Year's Eve Party.
What New Year's Eve party had the loony man
attended so long ago that old acquaintance bowed him
out the front door with relief and good riddance?
Anyway, he'd managed some drag old roughs, day-glo dunce
caps, and noisemakers like shriveled snakes.
His two dogs wore the shiny ice cream hat--
cones for hats downtown.
Mongrels they made happy pseudo poodles
in the cardboard ruffled circles.
He blew the pipe out softly, it wrinkled and curled back
around his finger, the dogs whined
below their slingshot hats, people laughed
and he showed them soup bone false teeth and return.
The creepy whistle pipes shrilled in the cold,
and the pretend poodles pranced eager to show the famous brave
one their pliancy.
Their melting ice and window misting noses.
The winter whistle dropped to silver scream,
the hands dropped down, the three of them went on."