Glasses on the table, varying levels of being full
Or empty
A bottle of arrack, coke, water, ice
Plates of rice, devilled meat
He may paint us with smiles on our faces, mid-conversation
He may capture hands being held under the table
A secret game of footsie, someone's looking at their phone
One rests their head on a friend's shoulder
An unconscious game of musical chairs
As some leave and others join
And people keep moving around the room
Catching up with friends they haven't seen in a while
If an artist painted us
I wonder what he would name it
What would he see being shared among us
That we ourselves are so unaware of?
And if someday we see it hanging on a wall
In a house or gallery
Would we recognise ourselves, our happiness
Would we look back at this day with fondness?
Word of the day: ukiyo-e
a genre style of painting and printmaking developed in Japan from the 17th to the 19th centuries and marked by the depiction of the leisure activities of ordinary people.
