To Host a Party
To Host a Party
Jensen Kirkendall
i. | for before
First and foremost, take stock—
not of your pantry or your plate count.
Take stock internally
of what is in hand
and what is not.
The invitation. The ambience.
The food and drink.
Of course, take charge of these.
But then remember
the night is not yours to perform.
The talk, the guests,
the atmosphere they bring—
these things are out of hand.
With the inventory done, by all means
be extravagant in preparation and fuss.
Set the scene for a luxurious time.
Fluff the couches, position lights,
and waft the richest of smells
(though ideally the food holds its own).
ii | for during
After all the fuss, as guests arrive
and you greet them
and they all stand around,
gauging what comes next—
here is the critical juncture.
Simply sink into the movements of the night.
Put music on, but let it dwindle in its course.
Initiate, but don’t dominate.
Hover gently over the waters.
You host the potential of intersecting lives,
old friendships strengthened,
new ones sparked to life.
You are a link in a chain,
a moment in a lifetime of moments
that collect to be a host of
memories, lifetimes growing quietly
alongside each other in the garden.
iii | for after.
When all is done and the night is finishes,
as it must be, expect to mourn a bit,
but do not mourn as those without hope.
Do not wallow in the absence of company.
Instead, make a poem of it. Sit quiet
with the leftover wine and watch the night
deepen, dishes piled high in the sink.
Listen to the still-echoing laughter,
and the solemn silences of sober thought.
Listen for the eventual gathering up of all things.
Jensen Armstrong Kirkendall
Educator & Parish Administrator
Jensen is originally from Santa Cruz, CA. After studying Literature and Humanities in the LA area, he moved to Winston-Salem, NC to earn his MA in Literature at Wake Forest. He now teaches middle-school Humanities and is a church administrator. Jensen has published poetry with Ekstasis Magazine (2022); co-authored Journey Back Again (2022), an academic book on J.R.R. Tolkien; and self-published a collection through Barnes & Noble entitled Tithe Poems (2023).
Photography by cottonbro studios