DANCING WITH MY DA!

as usual the world
is threaded through me
through television

& right now
it's Jimmy Cagney
being 'Biff'

I sit enthralled
engrossed in every move
...each gesture

My Dad comes in
from the garden
as if he were Adam

toiling over
his vegetables
loses the lot

drops his crop
of potatoes on the floor
cries out: 'Oh...I love this! '

sweeps me off
my feet in a gentle waltz
around our kitchen

'Casey...'
(he softly sings)    
'would waltz with

the strawberry blonde
...& the band
played on! '

'He'd waltz 'round the floor
with the girl he adored
...& the band played on! '

'His heart was so loaded
(it nearly exploded) ''For God's sake
Danny put the child down! '

he is scolded by my
pretending to be annoyed
mother.

'...& make us a cup of tea! '
'...& stop acting the clown
....& being an eejit! '

I am deposited
like a broken twig
in a river

on the further bank
of a big arm chair
'Da da da da da...


...da da da da da'
he hums as the kettle
boils and blows its top

kissing my mum
who is by now beginning
to hum:

'Da da da da
da da da da da da...'
...dancing with me da!

...some
lost sunny Sunday
in the long ago