(for Jill, Violette and Emily)
Her singing was off key
and her daughters
swung their dolls
barn dance style
repeating after Mom
laid down the ladle
and laid down the law
of this tiny kitchen
and every kitchen
from now on
until the sun rises
with a nod
rather than a wink
and
WE GOT THE BEAT!
we got the beat!!!
WE GOT THE BEAT!
Big sunglasses,
floppy hats
big frilly dresses
shoes too big
and socks
so loud they
wake the sleepiest
of feet,
the tiny women dance
as the drums pound hard
and the guitars crash
into one another,
It's here
I realize
half awake
that breakfast
will wait
or be not at all
because there is no time
like the present
and, Mom says
who needs to eat
when
WE GOT THE BEAT?
