[Glenn Wright]

Hi, Alex—

I had to struggle with the opacity of the language (which, especially in a short poem like this, can be a good thing). As a result, I am not at all confident in my reading.

The title gives a clue. “Clubs” probably refers to dance clubs with lots of beautiful or beautified women on display. The N surveys them mechanically or robotically, as if they are on an assembly line. “Scan, honed, and whet” contribute to this image.

“Fete” threw me. Is it the French word “fête” without its little circumflex hat? Is it a noun (a feast to honor someone) or a verb (to celebrate)? I am leaning toward the verb here.

The N quickly scans the girls in the club with an eye to their figure (“silhouette”), hair (blonde) preferring the more voluptuous (“fecund”) women. His judgment in picking his partner for the evening (“foresight”) has been refined (“distilled”) by years of bad experiences (“twilit blights”) with one night stands that turned into unsuccessful longer term relationships. (“held in homes / beyond yesterday’s nights.”). Alternatively, the last line could refer to the women’s transformation back into housewives after removing all the glamorizing makeup, wigs, and foundation garments that they used to create the illusion of beauty.

Am I close?

Glenn