parlour games (les jeux de salon)

whether park or parlour,
I'll sit,
amongst the carved and serious faces,
who have seen seasons change,
lovers come and go,
traditions become strange,
friends become strangers,
I'll have a couple for my shot nerves,
a few more to placate that fickle collective conscience,
a couple more in praise of self-amusement,
for in this Night,
no, life, of the Long Knives,
I intend to get loose,
get gone,
don't mind if I do,
and if I may,
I'll play,
along the way,
a few jeux de salon.