I suddenly found myself in this waltz
Rising and falling with you
To the three-beat rhythm
As we count one-two-three
In an effort to be in-tune
A mid-tempo
Is perhaps better, my love
To swing through the movements
Of this gratuitous waltz
One I’m not gracious enough for
As you’re at least 2 steps ahead of me
Following your lead,
As the tune keeps adding beats.
I should leave on a high note
in your flailing arms
Limping
I lost count
To you, your rhythm
My missteps
As we rise and we fall
To the three-beat rhythm
counting one-two-three
In an effort to be charming
As I hurry to catch the beat
one I thought we’d both land
In this jerky rendition
Of an overtly pretentious waltz
One I don’t have the formation for
Or the body structure.
A self-conscious dance
that feels more like a race
exhausting in the process
No clue what the fuck I’m doing
And why being in your arms feels like a chore
The dissonance is flagrant, my love
To a naked eye
So naked my modesty awakens
The discordance is deafening
So much I trip over
2 times, 1 time,
We both count one-two-three
Only to miss the mark
Again, and again
In this everlasting dance
That our withering love is.
I leave the control of your arms
A platonic waltz,
To the three-beat rhythm of my heart
As I stand alone
Mimicking the steps
Of a lover’s waltz
that is withering away
Again, and again
Inspired by Jacques Brel’s “Valse a Mille Temps”