A performance review

of the repartee

finds it subpar,

the mot juste,

the witty remark

never uttered 

when it mattered 

during the

aforementioned badinage. 

 

The gibe meant to

jolt the combative

interlocutor might

have been pithy, 

but it got carried

away by Lethe. 

 

Still, no need to brood,

"verba volant" holds true

at any rate, so 

next time meditate

on the barb, remember

that "scripta manent",

write it down instead,

and skip the banter.