(after “Danse Russe” by William Carlos Williams)

If when my wife is sleeping
and my kids are upstairs sleeping
and the family room is dark
save a faint moon through the blinds –

if I in my boxers and headphones
dance
to the wail of Hendrix
as I thrash the air
with invisible fretwork
sailing solo,
singing,
“I’m gonna wave my freak flag HIGH!” –

if I prance before the mirror, writhing,
re-inventing hair that was once there,
and I jump and thrust and burn
that imaginary axe through the night –

Who shall say I’m not
the superstar of my house?

10/02/2001

Posted on 10/02/2001
Copyright © 2025 Bruce W Niedt