Parents pose you for Facebook and Instagram
as they did after your first oatmeal-spattered
funny-faced e-scrapbook close-up
way back in pre-9/11 America.
Dressed regally in tuxedo and tulle
Boy’s bowtie carefully matched to girl’s gown.
Like a pricey pubescent pram,
a rented limousine whisks you away
to a Disney Prince and Princess fête
that bores you half an hour after you arrive.
You’ll cause no real drama—won’t dare spike the punch
the way prom pioneers of legend did before you.
At least until next week, when the school principal
sees your naked selfies
Cinderella and her Handsome Prince
cherubic in their birthday suits
snapped in those five free and unscheduled prom minutes
between countless texts and skypes with Mom.
But not to worry. . . .
Once the limousine rental is over
Your fearless folks still have the black helicopter
to extract you from trouble
and ferry you back to the basement dungeon
to play Halo
alone.
Millennial Prom Season
