Lady McTavish's Ball

Lady McTavish loved parties so lavish,
She planned them the whole winter long.

The gowns and the pearls and the fey dancing girls,
The feathers and hats and wild tiger cats,
Shoes with bright buckles and rings for her knuckles,
Sweet cakes and tarts -- the best pastry arts,
Pheasant and ham, and caviar and clams,
Gilt, silk, and brocade whose gleam couldn't fade,
Lutenists, flautists, and singers galore,
No hostess could ever have done any more.

She puttered and sputtered and bustled around
To ensure that she held the best party in town.

Then, one day, the ball's date did finally arrive.
With music and glitter the manse was alive.

The guests were expected at a quarter to seven,
But minute by minute, it got onto eleven!

Wringing her hands, she fretted and wailed,
Feeling as tho' she had completely failed.

She clapped her hand to her brow in utter dismay,
As the calendar revealed the cause of delay:
...Her party'd been set for the following day.

- Lisette Atiyeh

(Inspired by W.S. Gilbert, William Allen Butler, songs of yesteryear, and the steampunk genre.)