& I Never Even Realized It

One or two

Three to five

Depends on the flow of the evening

If your friends have arrived

or someone's needed to drive

Possibly if the game is on

Or maybe it's just Tuesday

Maybe after the third annual play

Where you cheered and took pictures

Like the good parents do

Playing you act with skill, only gained after years

of steady, increasing practice

Maybe even as the family gather around the table

For those picturesque nights

When we all play our parts

You slip it in slowly

Even though we can all see it

The vile liquid flowing

Through every relationship

Connected to you