Monday, March 18, 2013

ah- Tango

ah tango-
you do bring out the best in us
     and the worst
          -in some

my vision of gliding smoothly
     across the floor
    
is about half
     there...

it is ruined when i step on
     my own feet-
even worse
     when I step on
          yours-

but there is this one partner
who does not practice, does not hesitate,
     does not try the impossible moves
     (meant only for the young, and the slim)
this one partner
     can move cat-like-
     panther like-
and take me with him
     into the dream...

the Tango dream
-there is no dream
like the Tango dream...

it is a waking ecstasy
(with a small e)

it makes me feel
     vaguely guilty

vaguely satisfied
vaguely in love

but when the song is done
We return to our separate sitting spots-
     as if
     nothing has happened
     no one need be jealous or
otherwise
confused

...and I wonder why
...I keep attending classes
...keep finding clothes and buying shoes
...keep watching u-tube
...keep trying to learn the names of moves
     in a foreign tongue
...keep putting up with prima-donna maestros

and I know
     it is for that moment
that moment one or two
those precious moments
     with you
 








Saturday, March 9, 2013

Fiddling While Rome Burns...

Thank you for remembering that,
     Brain
You are such a handy
     little thing
     to have up there
          on the top of my head...

(I realize
     that now
          you're old
And not remembering things
     as well as
          you once did)

However,
     just now
          you reminded me
     that the powers that be-
Are SCREWING with us
     once again!

They are as Gods...
     They can
          decree
     That you
          and me
Will lose or gain
     one hour of our lifetimes-

And Just when we get
     used to it
They, (those self-same powers)
     will
(just to jerk us out of our
     blissful complacency)

Go and do it again!

We just got over taxes,
-papers still cover the floor-

But oh
That is not enough-
to jerk us around
     with-

Now they will slow
     the earth's rotation-
for just one hour...
and speed it up
     in spring-

They can do all this,
     this planetary, cosmic,
          fiddling-
But they can't
     for the life of them-
Balance their
     own budget-
Or seem to agree
     on anything-


-fiddling while
     Rome burns-