Toastmaster toastmaster, where have you gone?

the bride and her father await,

at the threshold they stand exactly as planned

awaiting your welcoming call

like a preening bird in black and red

on an aristocratic estate. 

 

Is it perhaps you've forgotten your lines

is a crisis of confidence striking,

your plumage gives you a right to speak

is something not to your liking?

 

Toastmaster toastmaster where are you now

has the lock on the toilet jammed?

your sense of timing has slipped a gear

why have you quitted the scene,

your absence hangs like a threat to all

the decisive moment damned. 

 

Is it perhaps you've lost your place

in the overall scheme of things,

has your concentration ordained

a departure on spreading wings?

 

Toastmaster toastmaster where have you gone?

it seems you were called away,

a guilty secret an assignation

an appointment of sorts it seems

that soon will resolve in the nick of time

to keep this a special day. 

 

The toastmaster has to follow his nose

when opportunities arise,

one of the traits he thrives upon

is the element of surprise. 

 

Toastmaster toastmaster where are you now?

it seems you've been seen in the grounds,

an offer invited two people united

your absence now part of a bigger plan,

a flash of red picked out by the sun

with a lady in waiting doing the rounds. 

 

Toastmaster toastmaster back at last

with the look like a satisfied nun,

serene as a peacock you've suddenly appeared

your sense of occasion firm and intact

though the bride and her father make note of the fact

that your fly has been left undone.