The event that inspired the poem: Mt. Airy contra dance, Philadelphia. Photo by Alex Burka.

A Glorious Day!

By Alan Katz

Heard from a friend, contra dance planned to be,
Been waiting so long, I could not wait to see

Got there early, didn’t want to miss a bit,
So revved up, excited, I could hardly sit

Sorely needed indeed, after such a long fast,
Music to our ears, a walk-through at last!

Appreciate your comments about taking it slow,
Emerging from hibernation, with caution we go

SPUDS on hand, talented musicians provide the beat,
Made it very easy for us to follow, move our feet

All of us starved to dance contra, there’s a yen,
Off and running, finally, we are swinging again

Reach across, pass through, allemande, hey,
Happy dancers united—a glorious day!

Kudos, Donna and Sue, what a wonderful time,
Kept us synchronized, moving up and down the line

Despite the challenges, a terrific dance we all had,
Even though masks, could tell, everyone smiling, so glad

Thank you much for taking the lead, your action,
So thrilled to be together again—contra satisfaction