The afternoon light drags on as the smell of Papa Gino’s pizza wafts through the reception area. I’m sitting by the table, trying to make out my laptop screen through dust and sunlight. The pizza is fair, if a bit plain.
My boss wants me to stay through lunch. He bought a veggie pizza no cheese at my request. I’m working through lunch, trying to code this XSL stylesheet out to work properly. He wants sectional tables of contents in the same file, excluding certain nested trees, and I’m practically at my wit’s end.
All through the afternoon, I’m at my desk. Time passes without change in light or sound, but I’m getting fuzzy. The browser windows stack up. I play my violin as I wait for my computer to build the document set one more time.
The clock slowly winds around to 5:30. A nap under my desk is short but very sweet. I awake bubbly and happy. Time for dance!
It’ll take me a while to dance like these people. It’s a whole different world, one which I never new existed outside of Google’d dance videos. I have to let go, hold, balance, push, relax. Gentler. Quieter. Faster.
You’re smiling at me, you know I’m new at this. I had to ask your name, again! You probably don’t know that even the dance position is completely new to me, but that’s alright. I’m enjoying the sensation. Soon enough, I’ll be working out new and odd ways of working these steps. Not now, though. For the moment, I’m feeling your weight, balancing the pull.
Sometimes we’re at arms length, turning, watching. Sometimes I bring you close, sliding the steps as we dance our spot on the floor. A quick arm brace and you’re away again, turning, pushing.
The music climbs as it starts to close. Spins are a bit new to me, but I send you out anyway. Spin, spin, spin, fold into me, and down!
Thank you for the dance.
Picture from the recent Brattleboro Dawn Dance.