Housewarming

They bring cutlery and crockery
Pictures and ornaments
Glassware and flowers
We break bread together
With its hollowed-out hole of salt
We rip and dip for luck
Eat the sweet and salty
Taking the good with the bad
And vodka of course
And we dance
To remixes of Indian folk classics
Neighbours, family, friends
And we wear our red leather dancing boots
The hosts dressed in gowns and suits
Have hung lights to add to the atmosphere
In the north of China dumplings are cooked for the occasion.

Interestingly, we’ve only been to these parties,
Never hosted.