English Rose/Oh We can Dance Alright

Dear Alice,

We dance around this rose bush,
you and I,
careful not to damage it,
not to cause petals to fall too soon,
not to bruise buds and deny them
their chance when the Sun again rises
lest we prevent it from flourishing
at its own time and place.

We dance around this rose bush,
you and I,
careful not to let its thorns
catch our garments,
our splendid garments,
made for each other by
each other,
careful not to let barbs tear
at our flesh and damage what
perhaps
should be concealed.

We talk in a careful dance.
We write in careful dance.
Pirouettes,
explosions,
angry dances,
firework dances.
We should probably start our own
dance troupe at this point
or
invent a new dance....
though I'm not sure how new it would be.
I think we both know the steps.
 

Reviews

[misskara]

a bit cliche - the "english rose" scenario. it's funny - i saw the "dear alice" and did think of the brady bunch as Kristina-witha-K said, before i read her review. funny! but seriously - it is still lovely, as most of your works are. but perhaps, obvious? not sure. like - em - ring around the rosie - i guess comes to mind. it sounds like you are trying to deflower an already deflowered girl - i.e the "rose", who already has thorns, and "knows the steps". so a bit contradictory - but again - beautiful. i do love your writing. those last 2 lines, as rachel said - are gorgeous. i do look forward to reading more of your poems. lovely!

[Lady Lazarus.]

such a beautiful poem.
Theres nothing I can say to sum up how lovely it is.
the last two lines are perfection.

[Dizzy-Izzy]

The garments made for each other by each other. Not just any garments but splendid ones. I can see that Mr. Mike. The suits we wear in relationships that don't really fit... not tailor-made but hastily pieced together so we fit the image of the one who desires us. Not really us though I guess but their version of who we ought to be.

Reminds me of a Brady Bunch episode... no, really. In the later years of the show when the kids had formed a singing group... "The Brady Kids or Six or whatever... Greg gets the offer of a lifetime by a big music producer, they want him to be "Johnny Bravo." Greg dumps the fam and jumps at the chance. Lays down a few tracks, takes some pictures in a fancy suit, you get the picture. So, when he shows up at the studio to listen to the final product... doesn't sound anything like him. What the hell! (he doesn't say that exactly, it was the 70's). He is upset and doesn't understand what's going on. "What do you need me for?"
He asked them and the reply was... "You fit the suit man..." He walks out on fame and fortune and goes back to being Greg Brady. Has to swallow his pride and apologize. He is forgiven of course. Such a life lesson in about 22 mins.

Yeah I'm old so what.

We are careful not to rip our carefully made garments, to tear our flesh, what is real about who we are that we always keep hidden away. Nobody wants to see that anyway. Hmm, we are left with that version of the truth when we are alone. In the shower, in the mirror after the shower. Each year changes the vision just a bit, we are the only ones who know.

Invent a new dance. Can we do that? Your last line says we already know the steps. At first I wasn't sure about that, for myself anyway but now thinking about it, I can see that I have danced the dance many times before... Even a prima ballerina is nervous before a performance, no matter how many times the curtain goes up.

Great work Mike

Ms. K

[Rachel DeHart]

"though I'm not sure how new it would be.
I think we both know the steps."

I really adore these last two lines. :]