Back then, we had sunburned tips of noses,
sand permanently stuck to feet.
Dinner, a pig pulled and dressed,
Sat abandoned on paper plates.
Sacrifice meant nothing as waves
Crashed near, and the skim of the pool
Wobbled gently.
A standing speaker lept alive.
Soulful beats familiar thanks to dad.
But I was afraid.
Afraid of my height, of my body and how it would
Move wrong or freeze. Afraid of an empty, chlorinated
Dance floor that could swallow me whole.
Did you know this fear? We never saw.
Instead, you charged ahead.
A dancer first on the floor,
celebrity in style, grace and light.
You the heartbeat and we now rushing cells.
How we danced! Your bronzed arms
Swinging front to back. Legs in rhythmic
Steps side to side. Husband across
Matching each joyful bounce. Your ever-widening
Smile an invitation to join
a life of frequency spun open like a feast.
Each song was a gift
and I suddenly lifted from the puddles.
There in North Carolina,
You taught me to be free.
How to harness a deep energy and then, pass it along.
We like ripples danced
until music became goodbye.
Us cousins, tired and sated, followed
like ducklings back over the boards
to a home temporarily by the sea.
written 4.1.20
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