alvin ailey had me

[Doreen Peri]

alvin ailey had me
from hello. he formed
a halo circumference
of the stage, his
unearthed merce style
raged with waged
audience bets
and i'll never forget how
he defiled gravity with
a launched leap now
and then and i couldn't keep
myself in the chair
as nuryev sprang to the air!
and oh god, oh god,
grand jete leaped like
speakeasy jazz,
razzmatazz fossey,
glossy paint on lips stuck
quick to the camera eye
made me cry bitter kissed sweat,
me, the barefoot queen on
high beam altitude, acting rude
to hip hop with a tropical breeze,
ballet, my mainstay girl,
begging me with a plie twist
and oh god, the lights!
oh god the applause!

but i don't talk too much
about dancin' 'cause
if i do, i'd tell you who
i am, the gauze too tight
on pointe shoes right under
knees locked into place
for a sometimes spin,
blue wonder wails
of thunderstorm tails,
a skydance
trail bolts
and whims

get up and dance!
it says, get up!
dance!

and i remember gardens -
i remember the play of morning breath
on the rest of my neck like a test
metronome, almost home, the
sigh! almost home,
the painted pant

don't tell me about dancin'
the why not me and why
in the wings or the way
words bring possibilities,
the boundaries
of a pirouhette
executed!!

she wore petticoat lace layered
around hips pink with violet toned pride.
a ride, a lift. honor.

we never know
how long a dance will stay.
the stage is temporary that way.
we never know how long a waltz can be
three quartered time until it's rhyme
is done,

and so later there were tips and such,
godfather boys, gamblers with annoying
little girl thrills, spills through glass mirrored
doubt, broadway duets, splits and such
like that, gstring collections of jackson
and grant.

dance
is an amazing art.
we come apart
at hinge joints.

after that there are commitment dances,
romance plays, three, four acts or more,
dors ajar, wars and repetoires absconced
by aorta theives,
down on knees
arrogant steps.

never forget the
taunted praise
of ghosts!
an ember
firedance,
a toast to
a tip of
glass
time.

time is a soul dance -
sips of wine swallowed
like a sot twin memory
never better than
what we've got now.

i added words
to my body
of work.
i dance with both.

ailey had me from hello.
he formed a halo
circumference
of the stage.

all i have are words
and thighs and arms -
rises from the page.
one leg down down
to do a needle, the other
pointed up to coulds
and didn'ts, woulds
and would have beens,
stars-arms
embraced
'round ankles

alvin ailey had me from hello.
and oh god the applause!
oh god, my god, the
grand jete leaped
like speak
easy jazz,
razzmatazz
fosseygloss
paint on lips stuck
quick to the camera eye

i cry bitter kissed sweat -
i die with every breath
i haven't danced yet.


dp.5.24.04

[Doreen Peri]

alvin ailey loves me for this piece and i love him too.

as it always has been.

thanks for reading.