An insistently earnest group meets in an
Out-of-the-way restaurant favored by
Locals. Introductions completed,
Pleasantries exchanged, jokes told,
Moments of public reverie
Performed, fealty reinforced.
A bare winter light wilts in,
Penumbra permeates.
Conversation on approved topics.
Polite visages veiling discomfort,
Dreams subsumed, opinions ingrained,
Social conventions observed at all costs.