China

A flicker of stealth

No more,

A shimmer in the dark

Was it more?

The smug, glowing edifice

Now in night’s shapeless orifice;

The long, paved drives,

Finally free

From envoys and their wives;

The wrought iron gates

Had long seen off

The last of the motorcades.

The copious cellars

Drained,

Polite goodbyes

Feigned.

As the marble hallways emptied,

And boudoir-doors were shut;

The masks slithered off, unhurried

And treacherous coats were cut.

The waters had changed colour

And they swam deep,

And as the night settled around

The charade was laid to sleep.