We Swayed Furtively
I
You were a shadow of rhythm
In the arms, song, and body
Of another man.
So from a distance, I became him
In order to be close to you. I
Uprooted in his posture.
And the song ended and I bended
Smoothly, myself rooting back
Inside like bass strings.
After the song ended, you both said
Thank you and he set you back down
Like a cell phone or iPad.
He would come back to you
When he needed to restock
On Tik Tok views.
The precursors to influencers
Are that when they leave, you like
And leave a comment.
II
I recognized the music in your body,
Clearly we had met before to this
Music through another’s body.
Los Angeles is a new country,
It breaths on a different beat
Then New Orleans.
My hips sing something different
Then this music. Music there
Is hips and bass strings.
Like their music, my hips slink
To bass beat and my heart beats
On the two and four.
And he left you blessing both your
Shoulders looking from side
To side.
I whispered the immediate next
The bass string instinct of
Another song.
III
I shadow-coaxed the note to you
And you glanced across the room,
Your breath on beat.
We spoke as dancers do we
Spoke with our bodies and
Our movement.
You walked into my chest where
Your presence was met with wrapping
Up and into me.
And we let our bodies see each
Other through their singing as they
Laughed, a bit of flirting.
We swayed furtively with each other
We let our musical bodies meet and
sing and kiss.
We let our musical bodies rinse and
Wash each other as we swayed
Furtively together.
Monoga-mish
-At The Seven Grand Whiskey Bar
-Downtown L.A.
A place to share a drink with some friends.
A place to discover your new go-to.
A place to end and begin your night.
I
I first met her at a house party.
Where they had turned their garage into a club.
I was the new guy, from The Big Easy.
New Orleans, who could dance the blues.
I could not help but notice her. I am
A relationship person; she is too…
She was so active with men and women there
I was convinced her FB status was single.
After we had danced, poured each other drinks,
She moved to the couch. I followed suit.
I sat down next to her, as though we were both single.
We laughed, exchanged some playful words.
After, she rose her glass in the direction of the balcony grill.
Specifically to the man, manning it. She said, That is my husband.
And there was the moment, really a few seconds of a moment.
Where my demeanor popped.
Which is what she expected.
Which is why she laughed.
II
We’re monoga-mish, she said, twirling her legs and her drink.
I recomposed, reconcentrated, and rethought…monoga-mish?
Oh? … Yes. We both work from home, cook, and eat together.
And in the evenings, he plays video games and I go dancing.
One night, I thought to explore those grounds
In the land of Monoga-mish at The Seven Grand.
My thoughts were positive, I found stools
At the end of the bar. It feels more private there.
She appeared, we got right to talking. I love listening,
Listen enough you will always learn something.
Something you didn’t know about them at the beginning.
Even if it’s not directly in what they say, after two old fashioneds.
She did directly say, I was homeschooled. And didn’t really expect
To graduate, because I was raised in a cult.
I had to turn away a few times. She was dressed casually
But she was wearing the most blood-thirstiest lipstick.
And we both knew at this point that our blood tasted like
seven-year-aged maple wood cast whiskey old fashioneds.