A Velvet Shirt Poem by Raj Dronamraju

For a pineapple gin and tonic
One measure of gin
Two measures of pineapple juice
Two measures of tonic water

But as they are fumbling over the definition of the measure of a man
You prance by uncaringly in a velvet shirt

What does velvet feel like?
Plush luxury, soft towel womb, a full autumn leaf pile type immersion
You commit soft overtures like misdemeanor larcenies against a worn out community

Not knowing the store's location is the power among the apes
Wisdom among the blockheads
Take one more sip of the pineapple gin and tonic and feel deliberate in the way you look