Lady Luncheon Club
Lady Luncheon Club - meaning Summary
Polite Indifference at Luncheon
The poem sketches a ladies' luncheon where a solemn male lecturer recounts grave social horrors while the women remain socially detached and distracted by refreshments. The narrator shows their polite, performative sympathy—annotating cake and coffee rather than engaging with the suffering described—and ultimately demands brevity. The poem highlights the gap between serious public discourse and the comfortable, distant responses of privileged audiences.
Read Complete AnalysesHer counsel was accepted: the times are grave. A man was needed who would make them think, And pay him from the petty cash account. Our woman checked her golden watch, The speaker has a plane to catch. Dessert is served (and just in time). The lecturer leans, thrusts forth his head And neck and chest, arms akimbo On the lectern top. He summons up Sincerity as one might call a favored Pet. He understands the female rage, Why Eve was lustful and Delilah's Grim deceit. Our woman thinks: (This cake is much too sweet). He sighs for youthful death And rape at ten, and murder of The soul stretched over long. Our woman notes: (This coffee's much too strong). The jobless streets of Wine and wandering when Mornings promise no bright relief. She claps her hands and writes Upon her pad: (Next time the Speaker must be brief).
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