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Image for the poem only when we dance

only when we dance


when I sleep, I tell myself not to dream.
when I have danced the long night in the arms
of a stranger, I tell myself not to write.

so this is me, not writing.

saw a moon so big & bright, it killed the darkness,
and I had nowhere to hide.
saw a face in the moon in a place far away.
there was music & a table with little white bowls;
the music was Cohen & a chorus of beautiful voices,
singing Dance me to the end of love.

in this dream that I am not dreaming,
in this lovestory that I am not writing,
I went to that place, to discover the secret of the white bowls.
each bowl contained small shapes of grain floating in cream;
I was hungry, so I ate.

the woman sat next to me; we ate together & we talked.
she said she was here for the music, hoping someone would
teach her the steps, because she had never danced before:
she was shy & a little afraid, so she hid behind her guitar.
and that was very sad.

there was music & a sad woman who had never danced  –
and that was reason enough to dance.


I remember she was barefoot & I held her close.
we danced slow, hesitant steps, even as the other dancers
moved around us fluidly, like Pacino & that pretty brunette
in Scent of a Woman.

we must have danced a long time. she said something, like stars
murmuring to each other, and the words fell easy & gently from her.
I liked it, I told her to say it again, & she did.

she asked me if I could say those words to her.
and I could not…


I have loved, maybe too little.  maybe too much.
I have hurt, & that hurt, I suppose, is not finished with me;
there is always more hurt. waiting.

and that is reason enough, not to dance…


(Art: Ben Rabinovitch)


Written by JohnFeddeler
Published
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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