The Uninvited Guest

A Thanksgiving Tale of Warning

 Ol' Tom was in the oven.

The tableware was set.

We all sat down to dinner,

Our appetites were whet.

The seating numbered thirteen;

It was quite the gala fest!

I don’t know how I missed him,

The Uninvited Guest.

He moved with ease unnoticed,

Slipping quietly among us.

He asked no silly questions

And never made a fuss.

He never interrupted

Or bored us with his jokes.

Waiting patiently in silence,

Acting just like normal folks.

The meal was finally finished,

The dishes cleared away.

We sat a while and chatted,

And just enjoyed the day.

From time to time he’d touch a hand

Or brush a person’s cheek.

No one seemed to worry

Because he didn’t speak.

By the time the day was over,

We were really in a fix.

The unseen guest had managed

To put his mark on six.

One by one they dropped like flies,

At one time or another,

Wailing on the bathroom floor,

Calling for their Mother.

The siege went on for several days,

As fevers rose and fell.

Voices cried throughout the night,

To curse the guest from hell.

Eventually, our health returned,

Our guest by now long gone.

But I was left to wonder

Just where had I gone wrong?

So guard your doorway carefully,

Promise to do your best!

Lest he slips in unnoticed

The Uninvited Guest.

At first, we thought it was food poisoning (gasp!) but not EVERYone got sick. Turned out to to be the flu.