By J.J. Tindall
DANCING WITH MEN
Remembering Neo
My blood would chill
And the micro-hairs
On the back of my neck
Would stiffen
Whenever the trill,
The sinister wobble,
Of the opening to
“She Sells Sanctuary”
Oozed ominously
From the mega-speakers.
One lady friend,
Now a professional dancer,
Took my hand insistently
And the game was on.
Sing:
Neo, Smart Bar,
Artful Dodger,
Exit, Octagon,
Club 950 (&
Let’s don’t forget
Lizard Lounge).
Now: unless you accompanied
A lady friend,
At the time,
You were dancing with men.
At the time,
My boys and I
Un-self-consciously
Made the scene
To go dancing.
We weren’t cruising,
We weren’t binge-ing.
We were dancing.
And if you intended
To dance with a woman
You’d better bring a friend.
It wasn’t
That kind of dancing.
Once, at Smart Bar,
I asked a girl
Who, mid-dance,
Spontaneously shimmied
Into my space,
For a second dance.
And she laughed
In my face.
Like the time Gang of Four
Played Mabel’s,
And a lithe red-head
Jumped into my space
And we danced to the pummeling
Bass of Ms. Sara Lee
Like Rogers and Astaire.
When the tune ended,
After she jumped
In my space,
I asked her name
And she laughed
In my face.
Unless you accompanied
A female friend
You were dancing
With men.
Sing: Neo, Smart Bar,
Artful Dodger,
Exit, Octagon,
Club 950 (&
Let’s don’t forget
Lizard Lounge).
And so you might
Bring a female friend
Who wouldn’t come
Unless she knew
You could take care of business.
Which was nice.
Say: you haven’t jitterbugged
Until you’ve jitterbugged
With a woman
Who could jitterbug
To “Lust for Life.”
If it was “Temptation”
I’d be dancing with
Myself.
If it was “Rebel, Rebel,”
I was once again
Dancing with men.
Sing…
–
J.J. Tindall is the Beachwood’s poet-in-residence. He welcomes your comments. Chicagoetry is an exclusive Beachwood collection-in-progress.
–
More Tindall:
* Chicagoetry: The Book
* Ready To Rock: The Music
* Kindled Tindall: The Novel
* The Viral Video: The Match Game Dance
Posted on July 21, 2015