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The Memories Dance With Me

I was born in 1937 I'm nearly 83
I would still like the chance
For someone to dance with me
I put the radio on and sway around the room
Sometimes with my husband
But mostly with the broom
In the fifties when I was in my teens
Girls dressed up to go dancing
It would have been a sin to wear jeans
Fellows all dressed swell
Smart drape suits and ties as well
When we got to the dances
The girls stood by the wall
Waiting to be asked to dance
So they could have a ball
Boys in those days were gentlemen
Or most of them I think
There were only snacks and lemonade
That you could eat or drink
No alcohol, fighting or swearing allowed
You would soon be reprimanded
If things got too loud
When a boy asked you to dance
The music made you swoon
You felt like the cow that jumped over the moon
It did not matter what your partner looked like
As long as he could dance
It was music not the fellow
That put me in a trance
There was an ornate ceiling light
In most dance halls in those days
It rotated and flickered
Making shadows and golden rays
I think it was called a mirror ball
I am not sure
I know it looked awesome
As we danced around the floor
The band played different dance music
Jitterbug and Jive
That is when the dance hall came alive
Poodle skirts and bobby socks, quiffs, fringes and blonde hair
The band would change tempo
And the dancers showed their flair
For the special moves that dance needed
Some did not have a clue and never succeeded
To dance Be-Bop or Jive
These dance moves were difficult
Too difficult and deep
The only dance these folk could muster
Was the creep
I loved the fifties
The war was not long over
It was a time of peace, people felt like dancing
It was a welcome relief
To all the unnecessary pain and suffering
That all wars bring
The Fifties was a time to be joyful
LAUGH, DANCE and SING


4 March 2020
"Kim Rodrigues' DWM Contest"

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