April 29 is International Dance Day. Every culture, every society, every era, has its own form of dance. April is National Poetry Month. Celebrate by doing your favorite dance. Celebrate with a poem.
Dance Lesson
“Do you want to dance?”
That’s the way it starts.
But a bad romance
leaves two broken hearts.
The love you meet
at the Boogaloos
may start off sweet
but you’ll surely lose.
There’s truth to the witty
and oft-quoted line,
“The girls all look pretty
at closing time.”
And the guys who flirt
out on the dance floor
are just chasing a skirt,
just trying to score.
Couples may do the Swim
while the band’s playing,
just her and him
moving and swaying.
They may dance Free-Style,
arms a’ flailing,
but all the while
their relationship’s failing.
People that arrive
to do the Tango
or Staying Alive
at the old Disco
may Two-Step it
at first, and it will be OK,
but they’ll regret it
by the hundredth day.
Because folks who visit
clubs at night
may wake up Twisted
next to a fright.
If you Fox-trot
until the morning dew
or if you Hip-hop
with someone that’s new,
you may think its rapture,
you’re doing the Hustle,
but it’s more like rupture,
like you’ve pulled a muscle.
You can be Swinging,
or Walking the Duck,
but at the ending,
the Jig is up.
If you’re looking to find
a one-night stand,
you can Bump and Grind
to the beat of the band.
But if you’re craving
an affair that will survive,
avoid the Raving,
and stay out of that dive
—
Photo: IStock