She dances
Alone
in the kitchen
Mom’s bare feet      step-two-three
the radio turned up
to the anniversary waltz
De nacht vos meer haben cha-sa-nah ghat
                                                                        די נאכט וואס מיר האבן חתונה געהאט
Oh how we danced on the night we were wed

Mom’s bare feet      step-two-three
wavy hair messy from sleep
tiny flowers on her bathrobe
unfold to the morning light
Dad’s flowers on the kitchen table
Meer ha-even Tsu-ge-zugt un-zar emes le-bah du
מיר האָבן
I watch from the threshold
          fingers wiggling
צוגעזאָגט אונדזער אמת ליבע דו
We vowed our true love though a word wasn’t said

Mom’s bare feet      step-two-three
          hands fluttering           arms reaching
a butterfly pursuing its mate
around the fallen petals
          wings lightly touching

Mom’s bare feet step-two-three

 

Lynne Dolle is a retired graduate school professor of Curriculum And Instruction and holds a M.S.Ed in Literacy. She taught the craft of writing poetry to both adults and children in the NYCDOE. In 2001, she was the publisher of “Celebrating Student Writing: Creating a Context for Parent Partnerships.”