Original Photograph by Emily Damyan
The Dancefloor Speaks
i am a nocturnal creature
known for periods of stillness
like a reptile
i rest
when (re)storing
my energy
i heat up
under the feet
of revellers, moved
by the rhythm
that controls us all
awakened
by the slippery
stomps of syncopation
my playground
a gathering site
for distant tribes
segregated
by their skins
and cultures
coming together to create
a dialogue through dance
the disease
slowed my movements,
deadened the spring
in my step
that year
when closeness
became contagious
I emptied out, a blank
balloon whose owner
had exhausted breath
trying to fill me
(even with cheap cover
I still had expensive taste)
please explain
me to the children
when they rumble
with pent-up longing
anger and desire
that became, in generations past –
jazz, funk, punk and
rock & roll, hip hop
and salsa, ballroom
and bachata, disco and
house music
all night long
i will miss you, and your
fuelled bacchanalia
when the ride
home failed you
say farewell
to the boards crowning
my imperial forehead
you will tread
on me no longer
but without me
where would you be?
alone
in the house
listening to music
all
night
long?