Normal to you, normal to me? Nothing alike, I’m sure! I want to share a poem I wrote a few years ago about why I dance, then I end with one I wrote on March 27, 2020, in the midst of our unusual world!
Why We Square Dance—Why I Dance
It’s a Friday
Or
A Saturday night
A dance night!
The week lasted for eons
grueling
I had my work face on for five days
and I kept going.
I finished this week
Exhausted!
My family needs drained me
I am wilted,
ready to dissolve into bed!
But it’s my dance night.
I breathe deeply,
I know!
I select my square dance outfit.
What do I feel like tonight?
Red or turquoise
Southwest design or frilly lace?
The familiarity of my weekly dance routine
takes over
Systematically I put on my outfit
As each layer goes on,
my perspective and energy level changes!
First my hose
With a deep breath, I release part of my stress
Then my pettipants
Oh my, it’s going—another deep breath
my top and skirt
My goodness—a glimmer of hope
my belt
A smile slowly crosses my lips
Next my matching petticoat and shoes
Yes, I sigh with relief
Finally, my club badge
To identify who I am—
A square dancer!
A spray to finish my hair
a touch of lip gloss
A final look in the mirror
A pirouette and a spin
crinoline flowing
I am complete!
My exhaustion replaced with anticipation!
The drive to the dance hall
becomes a time tunnel
a vacuum
a timeless space
void of the demands of this world
stress free
relaxing
Either soft music in the background
or
a compatible silence
or
a casual conversation
A bridge between the world out there
with its demands
and the dance world
with its pleasures!
Friends greet me as I enter the dance hall—my dance family
The music starts
I step onto the dance floor
and I am free!
The carefree child within me
spins round and around
claps her hands
and
Shouts for joy!
I am free!
The tip starts,
and I am safe
to spend two hours
In sheer joy and ecstasy!
I drop the world’s cares and concerns,
at the door,
kicking them out of view!
So if you have problems in your world, join me
and
leave them at the door!
If you are angry or sad
The magic begins
when you show up
and
dress up!
The music starts
and
I step onto the dance floor!
And then the real magic takes over!
Cares melt down my shoulders
and flitter away on a breath
giving a lightness to my step
Sorrows cluster together
and ride away on an angel’s wings.
Music playing
I am surrounded by dear friends
I step onto the dance floor
It is a safe place
and
I am free!
That’s why I dance!
Copyright©2015 Larada Horner-Miller
As I juxtapose these two poems against each other, I realize the loss I’m experiencing. My husband and I have had a couple of years with limited dancing because of health reasons, but I remember in 2015 when I wrote the above poem, we would dance three times a week. Then we often went away to weekend events that started on Friday evening with a dance, dance all day Saturday and Saturday night and Sunday morning. We were dancing fools!
The world I face today in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic differs drastically from our normal life.
I Want Normal Again
March 27, 2020
I want to dance
To laugh
To hug
To live!
I want my life back!
This disruption has created havoc
Distance
Isolation
I want my old life back,
But not at the expense
Of loss
Of risk
Of stupidity
Of you
I love my normal life
Lin
14 Asher Lane
Jesse, my cat
The richness of community
Friends
Family
Branson
The ranch
My brother
And friends
Sixty-six years
Full and rich
I count my numerous joys
And I submit to the world’s needs!
To my elderly neighbor
To my high-risk dancing friend
With a double lung transplant
To the stranger
I want to consider
I submit; I must or perish,
But as I say this,
I yearn for my life back!
In my nightly dreams,
I spin off of Lin’s hand
We promenade around the square
I hoot and holler on an allemande left
I relish each hug in the "thank you" circle
When it is safe,
the next time we dance,
I will hug you
From the depths of my soul
And will be made new
In your touch
But for today,
I kiss my husband
We hug and snuggle
We touch
And it keeps me alive
Those dreams
Sustain my spirit
Today
And I wait for the day
For normal to return!
As I compare these two poems, I mourn the loss of dance right now–the movement, the activity, the music and our friends! And I’m going to be oh, so careful on the return! How do you keep six feet apart when square dancing? How can you wear gloves and masks and dance? Do you change gloves after every tip? And no hugs? Hugs are a big part of it for me!
What does your normal life look like? I’d love to hear about the activities that feed your soul.
~ RELEASE PARTY of Flippo’s biography streamed on Facebook Live — TBA! Be ready! Door Prizes, the inside story, Flippo song bytes & interview clips and more!
~Whitey & Gladys Puerling, playful friends of Flippo’s, created a Fan Club. I thought it would be fun to recreate this group. Would you like to join the Marshall Flippo Fan Club Facebook page? Read interesting posts about Flippo’s life. https://www.facebook.com/groups/328325644382769/
~DO YOU WANT AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? Visit my web site and you can order a book on the homepage: https://www.laradasbooks.com