Cynical Picnic

Deep in a drowsy, sullen afternoon,
when promised sunlight teased
behind clouds as thick and gray
as a Soviet politician's eyebrows,
we decided on cynics
as the better guests
to a picnic than Romantics,
because they will see the ants
in their mind's eyes and
understand what may happen.

Those others can't imagine
ants or rain or scorching sun
or any other item out of place
in a simple idyll.

In the end, it's better
to have bug spray, umbrellas, and sunscreen
than unhappy companions
on a picnic.