at the fete du bons vieux temps - Cahokia, Illinois
White clouds of rosin dust Flew off Geoff's fiddle strings As his earth dance Soared above the pulsing Of friends on bass and guitar.
Tuniced men bowed To their bonneted ladies Bedecked in colonial frocks. In turn each pair sashayed Down and up the line, Whirled and laced their way Through outstretched hands Of family, friends and neighbors Shaping an arch at line's end For all the rest to pass beneath.
All across our country's timescape Countless bridal pairs Have sealed their sacraments Spinning in the whirlwind Of the Virginia Reel - With each interclasping of arms A blessing upon their unions.
Geoff lifted his bow from the strings, And bowed with his band to receive The applause rippling the air Like the patter of ancestral rain Nourishing the sweet soil Of our common earthly essence.
February, 2007
Included in Unity Tree published by Createspace and available from Amazon.com in both book and Kindle formats