It seems to be a ritual
that must be followed to the letter

that a man must come forward,
bow his head, read Scripture,

then get up and go forth
and do as he pleases for the rest of the day,

cleansed and ready to face
whatever comes up — a movie,

a private show, one person dancing close
with another be it man or woman

or indiscriminate person;
these are the forms that must be obeyed:

first pay attention to God,
then pay fees to the body and its wants.

And it never seems to fail
that I am separate from this —

I am paid in full ahead of time; I have settled
all debt; thus I am left unheeded;

I dance at my leisure
and sleep when and where I please.

Their rituals go far beyond me.
This world goes on and into itself.

I twirl and laugh myself silly
despite the impending disasters

of this earth decaying and falling
into disrepair; nonetheless,

I twirl foolishly
and sing with abandon.

If they take me, say this:
he went down with a song.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
onward,
T