It Had Gotten To The Point

It had gotten to the point
Where his wife wouldn't dance with him
Unless he promised not to raise his arms
That way
It was embarassing she said

But he couldn't help it
The music got into his shoulders
Around his neck
My shoulder girdle he would say
The opposite of Elvis
Whose gyrations whose gift
Was centered more in the hip girdle
Or so he would tell his wife
He just couldn't help it

She said he looks like he is doing a tai chi routine
On the dance floor only faster
Making funny formations with shoulders arms hands
Like some little teapot from the nursery rhymes
Arms and legs all akimbo
Like some fluid ever-changing abstract sculpture
Water to ice to vapor back to water
Changing like one of those moving billboards
That have images on three sides
Rotated every 10 seconds
To reveal a triangulated message
Come Josephine
In my flying machine
Going up and down

Exactly he said to her exactly

Oh no she moaned what have I done
Have I encouraged this insanity

Exactly he said exactly

I'm sitting down then Mister Teapot she said
Although she had to laugh despite herself

It had gotten to the point
Where his wife wouldn't dance with him
Unless he promised not to use his arms
That way
It was embarrassing she said

Exactly he said exactly
But not embarrassing
Free form art he said

Like I said she said

It had gotten to the point


For Sketches
By Denis J. Kelly
June 13, 2012