FOOL THAT I AM

today i found out a new way to dance
with music blaring & black love running all
through my body while i made spaghetti
fried some fish & some chicken
& stirred up a pitcher of iced tea
dancing around my kitchen & me
not caring about the heat as
the sunday afternoon breezes
still found their way through the halls &
about the rooms

i danced around the kitchen island
1- & 2-stepping to jazz vocals & riffs
singing to no one in particular but me
marveling that the movements come
easy, though i haven't stepped foot in a class
in a long while

working at the sink was my warm-up:
knee bends to reach skillets & pots
arm stretches to grab spices & seasonings
contractions & releases to clean the glasses

everything in place
now the dance begins
the thawing of flesh leaves traces
& the chosen condiments
& selected mode of preparation

has provided directions to move

to
lift reach lift stretch reach lift
to
dip fall roll step step lift roll
then shake
shake
let go
push
open
close
increase heat & volume

while washing the skillets & pots already used
wiping oil from the stove in circular motions
starting the clockwise winds from the heels
to my crown & i cleaned & moved & let
the music take me away in my house

where today i found a new way to dance
while the music played on while black
love coursed through me, me loving
that it speaks to me in the way i walk the floors
content

my feet go where they please,
find spaces i haven't been before
barefooted & wanting to move
with & against rhythms imagined
or real

today i found a new way to dance:
like no one is watching.

H.
8-7-2005