Afternoon Delight By Mary Kipps

Afternoon Delight

                    Thinking of you’s working up an appetite
                    Looking forward to a little afternoon delight
                                           Starland Vocal Band, 1976

We were sitting in a diner
when the song began to play.
The melody was catchy,
but the lyrics, for their day,
when you listened to them closely,
were decidedly risqué.

The title, Daddy volunteered,
is suggestive, I agree,
but it’s alluding to a spicy dish
of almonds, shrimp, and brie
that’s featured on the menu
at a restaurant in DC.

My high school boyfriend snorted.
Daddy looked him in the eye.
I know what’s running through your head.
I’m not inclined to lie.
It’s wise that you believe me.
Bobby paled. Yes, sir. I’ll try.

That single rose to number one,
such delight was all the rage.
And what Dad claimed – I wondered, 
until the Google age,
when I went surfing for the truth,
and found it on a Wiki page.

Mary Kipps writes poetry for all age groups, in traditional forms as well as in free verse. Her work has appeared regularly in poetry journals and anthologies around the world since 2005. Mary is also the author of three humorous paranormal Kindle books: “All in Vein”, “A Sucker for Heels”, and “Bitten: A Practical Guide to Dating a Vampire”.