Body movement shake
A dance craze in modern hype
Bizarre for adults.
The dancers ranged from tiny tots
In tutus meant for twirls
To those performing hip hop moves
Designed for older girls.
There also were performances
In modern dance and jazz,
With everybody showing off
Their talent and pizzazz.
We watched the whole two hour show
And clapped for each routine,
But saved our cheering for the times
Our granddaughter was seen.
She nailed her hip hop attitude,
Her ponytail a’sway
And sparkled in the jazz part,
Smiles and sequins on display.
How special to experience
A showing that reveals
All the pride in an accomplishment
And joy a grandchild feels.
In shadows cast by neon haze, A world unfolds in modern days,
Where screens dictate our hearts' desires, And connections fade amidst the wires.
We chase the rush of fleeting fame, Yet yearn for depths we cannot name,
Lost souls, seeking solace and light, In this modern dance of day and night.
But let us pause, in tender embrace, Rekindle love, restore life's grace,
For in our hearts, the key resides, To find true joy as life collides.
Chantilly lace curtains of my apartment window ripple in the cold January night. From here, I observe mooring lights that illumine the docks in this petty northern port and four cafés that lean toward one another, side-by-side, though separate and apart. I wonder at their co-location. Their twinkling lights blur together in a loud kaleidoscope of color.
The harbor winds carry putrid odors to my window. Sidewalk signs cover most of the walkway. Though too distant to register detail, I discern the outline in flickering neon of two women outside the smallest café as men clad in oilskin foulies lumber into the second, barely a bar, as they all are. Faint modern dance rhythms announce a tiny dance floor inside the third. The brightest café-bar has no one visible. A lone figure in casual attire moves from café to café, not staying long. He moves in the same pattern, over and again, stopping once to chat with the women. I wonder what or who he seeks. The women disappear down a side pathway.
With a desultory outlook for the evening, I close my window, wrap against the cold, and descend the European-styled spiral staircase.
earth
peace
give it a chance
tie-dye t-shirts
modern dance
macrame
and beaded chokers
woodstock
and pot smokers
flower power
zpg
alfalfa sprouts
herbal tea
burning draft cards
American flags
Vietnam bodies
coming home in bags
Kent
Augusta
Jackson state
Detroit Black Panthers
waking up too late
Oh Angela
Oh Beatles
Oh Martin Luther King
gratitude to all of you
for this special thing
The Homeless Man
When the wind blows off the water
With it’s icy reminder that it’s growing late
He puts his head down, pulls his scarf tighter
And once again ponderes his fate.
It seems he thinks more clearly
When out where the elements rule
They have no respect for his trials
They know how daily life can be cruel.
The leaves are dancing beside him
The dust swirls in some modern dance
He wants to take part in the movement
Consider giving life one more chance.
He’s had constant daily rejections
But some how he’s coped with defeat
He still clings to a hope for tomorrow
This new dawn he reluctantly greets.
The Homeless Man
When the wind blows off the water
With it’s icy reminder that it’s growing late
He puts his head down, pulls his scarf tighter
And once again pondered his fate.
It seems he thinks more clearly
When out where the elements rule
They have no respect for his trials
They know how daily life can be cruel.
The leaves are dancing beside him
The dust swirls in some modern dance
He wants to take part in the movement
Consider giving life one more chance.
He’s had constant daily rejections
But some how he’s coped with defeat
He still clings to a hope for tomorrow
This new dawn he reluctantly greets.
The Homeless Man
When the wind blows off the water
With it’s icy reminder that it’s growing late
He puts his head down, pulls his scarf tighter
And once again pondered his fate.
It seems he thinks more clearly
When out where the elements rule
They have no respect for his trials
They know how daily life can be cruel.
The leaves are dancing beside him
The dust swirls in some modern dance
He wants to take part in the movement
Consider giving life one more chance.
He’s had constant daily rejections
But some how he’s coped with defeat
He still clings to a hope for tomorrow
This new dawn he reluctantly greets.
The Homeless Man
When the wind blows off the water
With it’s icy reminder that it’s growing late
H puts his head down, pulls his scarf tighter
And once again pondered his fate.
It seems he thinks more clearly
When out where the elements rule
They have no respect for his trials
They know how daily life can be cruel.
The leaves are dancing beside him
The dust swirls in some modern dance
He wants to take part in the movement
Consider giving life one more chance.
He’s had constant daily rejections
But some how he’s coped with defeat
He still clings to a hope for tomorrow
This new dawn he reluctantly greets.
The Homeless Man
When the wind blows off the water
With it’s icy reminder that it’s growing late
H puts his head down, pulls his scarf tighter
And once again pondered his fate.
It seems he thinks more clearly
When out where the elements rule
They have no respect for his trials
They know how daily life can be cruel.
The leaves are dancing beside him
The dust swirls in some modern dance
He wants to take part in the movement
Consider giving life one more chance.
He’s had constant daily rejections
But some how he’s coped with defeat
He still clings to a hope for tomorrow
This new dawn he reluctantly greets.
The Homeless Man
When the wind blows off the water
With it’s icy reminder that it’s growing late
H puts his head down, pulls his scarf tighter
And once again pondered his fate.
It seems he thinks more clearly
When out where the elements rule
They have no respect for his trials
They know how daily life can be cruel.
The leaves are dancing beside him
The dust swirls in some modern dance
He wants to take part in the movement
Consider giving life one more chance.
He’s had constant daily rejections
But some how he’s coped with defeat
He still clings to a hope for tomorrow
This new dawn he reluctantly greets.
The Homeless Man
When the wind blows off the water
With it’s icy reminder that it’s growing late
He puts his head down, pulls his scarf tighter
And once again pondered his fate.
It seems he thinks more clearly
When out where the elements rule
They have no respect for his trials
They know how daily life can be cruel.
The leaves are dancing beside him
The dust swirls in some modern dance
He wants to take part in the movement
Consider giving life one more chance.
He’s had constant daily rejections
But some how he’s coped with defeat
He still clings to a hope for tomorrow
This new dawn he reluctantly greets.