Ballroom dancing with my beautiful wife:
rumba, meringue, samba, salsa, the cha-cha-cha.
Every week learning more of the basics:
open breaks, crossovers, under-arm turns,
chasse steps, and promenades,
one step forward, 2 steps back,
2 steps forward, one step back,
like the Mars Rover negotiating tentatively
across torturous, uncertain, pock-marked terrain.
I feel we are making progress, the progress
leaves of a potted plant on the windowsill make
following the imperceptible, yet incessant,
movement of the sun across the mid-day sky.
Finally, finally, tonight a rush of success,
I breakthrough, have reached a higher plateau
in Dante’s Purgatory, broken through
to another level. Exhilarating really!
During our cha-cha-cha I am actually in control,
knowing where I am going, leading
my leading lady with manly authority
as a leading man should -
Open Basic Movement
followed by Three Cha Chas Forward
Open Basic Movement
followed by Three Cha Chas Back
Open Basic Movement
followed by Three Cha Chas to Left
Open Basic Movement
followed by Three Cha Chas to Right . . .
and so on until the music stopped.
Then we switched partners to get some practice
with someone else, a different style and rhythm.
Afterwards I’m still feeling the warm glow
of having broken through, like when finally
you remember all 8 steps in the Krebs Cycle
without having to look at the damn diagram.
I have my cha-cha legs! The cha-cha
is seeping into me becoming part of me,
like walking and riding a bike,
the concentration and hard work finally paying off.
Maybe, just maybe I can be a good ballroom dancer
some day after all, sweep my wife
across the dance floor, make her proud
and happy that I am her dance partner.
When we get out into the cool night air she leans
into me and says, “That Vin is a great dancer.
He showed me some new moves
and I followed him really well too.”

Michael Estabrook says: Seems I've been writing poetry for so long that Methuselah should be taking notice, but in reality, time is simply doing its thing streaking ahead blithely pulling all of us along for the wild ride whether we like it or not; reminds me, I've published 15 chapbooks over the years, the last one just came out about my Dad, and before that was When Patti Would Fall Asleep, about my wife, guess you could say I'm a family man.