Strangers From Across the Street

Congealed globs of crusted apple pie

slipped down our grinning chins and

we licked the tins of metal,

capturing in our minds eye

the melt and might of

full on

American pride.

        

We wore our tin hats proudly,

standing at attention

like battle hardened soldiers

dodging flannel napkin grenades

and russet potato bullets.

 

Exhausted

we crumpled onto the lawn,

the dog licking our war wounds

before the party began.

 

At 8PM it started.

Dancers of every variety, shape, color, and size

descended upon the backyard

coming from afar;

The Castenetti’s from Mulberry way

The Haycock's off Longview

and the Delbert's from down on Cedar.

 

The music wakened us from

the eternal slumbers of everyday life

and we went from sleepy mummies to

pantheon gladiators

in a series of single beats.

We were alive!

On our feet!

Ready!

 

Bop, bop, bop, beep, boom, bop!

the beat emanated

and so did we.

 

Jewelry dangled

hair darted violently, dresses became possessed,

and dips, swirls, and pirouettes ruled the canvas,

clothes like water colors mixing to

the beat of a different drum.

 

They moved fast

and faster!

Nobody could catch them

not even Charlemagne, Zeus, Josephat, or God almighty.

 

They danced, and danced, and danced

until the only source of light was the moon.

And then they danced some more.

 

Panting all together now

their breaths shallowed, shortened,

and slowed

 

until finally

the exhales collapsed

like dominos of little deaths

 

leaving just the trees swaying

the crickets chiming

and the soft breeze blowing,

as if to say

job well done.

 

Our little slice of heaven

there on Grico Court

shined so bright that night

the people clear across town in Skokie

were able to see it. Some say even those in Hong Kong

and Katmandu caught wind of it.

Heard the music.

 

We convinced the world that night

that there wasn’t anything wrong with the

people from across the street.

 

They didn’t look like us

but they were like us

in every way.

It only took a wave to find out.