Janet's New Year Party

It always reminds me,
New Year's  Day,
of that party of Janet's --
you'll know the one!

Like all of her dos
it began after dark --
that was to catch
all the hung-over ones,
so I'd always thought.

This was the one 
when most esteemed
Chinese Gentleman,
Mr Ly, got it off
with the dreaded 
and feared adverbial game.

New twist for new year:
each word had to do
with an end or beginning,
an old or a new.

Mine? I forget
which word it was won.
I simply remember 
the fact that I did it -- 
and how it was done! --
in stark silhouette
with a knife through my spine.

Bloodily! -- You.
Posthumously! said
Janet's mulled wine.
Deservedly! then
the resident wit --
hungover, no doubt! --
Efficiently! later.
But Crudely  was greater
when we added the scores.

But when we moved on
to adverbial phrases
I regret to report
all sense went to blazes!

You started it off
by burning the toast.
You being you, 
you did it twice over:
first in the kitchen
and then in the lounge --
an encore, by gad!

With evident ease --
from the twins, I believe.
Then carried away
as the fire brigade came --
none too quickly, I fear,
though the blaze was the smallest
they'd seen for a year.

Still, the party broke up
in an orderly way
each one telling each
that they loved them to death --
and they'd guessed every word,
and that straight away.