Maypole

From the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ facebook page

These steps we take can bring some dreams to us
with shuffle-shuffle-shuffle and
a toe-heel-toe.

These steps we take can last eternally
as we dance in top-hats and long tails,
long dresses and high-heel shoes.

The music is to glide for
the chandeliers to die for
but death is watching in his
noiseless tapping shoes.

Tip-toe, tip-toe, tip-toe.

We mourn the moments of a young lass
who danced forever in scarlet ballet shoes
sold by the peddler of ‘careful-what-you-wish-for-dreams.’

We mourn the moments of her lost dreams
trapped in enchanted shoes that won’t let go
it’s like the muse that stings, and makes us
insomniacs night after night.

Fred and Ginger dance onto our tv screens
We’re hearing their repartee twirling
in the early morning gleam.

Our souls seek a rhythm they can keep
Our hearts go clippity-clip-clip-clip.
Can patterned steps bring some peace to us?

We Fox trot, Charleston, Boogy Woogy and Waltz
Rap and Tap, flamenco and modern dance.
Ginger and Fred correct our steps one by one.

We dizzy wizzy round our dream maypole
And an African beat takes hold of our feet.

We’re dancing the world beyond these shores
beyond this time, beyond this space,
beyond human made limitations and Holly Wood screens.

We’re dancing ourselves
a united human race.

(c) June Perkins
based on Maypole, p. 11 Shadow Puppets. Made quite a few changes to this one.

From the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ facebook page

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