"Allemande left with your left hand",
office couples sign up to learn
Bob got drafted, now an airman,
partners the bookkeeper, Laverne.
"Bow to your partner, do si do,
allemande left with your left hand"
Bob must turn out, his time to go
his friend Jim finds someone for Pam.
"Around the world, take your man's hand"
Laverne's first of the group to sense
"allemande left with your left hand"...
two weeks, Bob died in Tet offense.
Down the years, the ones left still dance--
life in steps; some stay, and some chance
other partners, the callers stand.
"allemande left with your left hand".
© Gay Reiser Cannon * 12/8/2012
All Rights Reserved
Posted for 12/11/12 OpenLinkNight
@dVersepoets Pub
Quatern - the refrain falls as required, but the rhyme scheme changes somewhat like couples changing places in a square dance. The story of my friend who lost her husband in the VietNam Tet Offensive. The command or "call" of a square dance often begins with bow to your partner, allemande left with your left hand (grabbing the person to your left's hand with your left hand and weaving around the circle back to your original partner) this to the call of "right, left, right and left grand" (for grand promenade). I thought the 4, 4, 4, structure of the quatern was ideal for a square dance which is all about fours/ in 4/4 time.
Ah, this is good. We dance ourselves through life from one stanza /decade to another. The form stays the same, but the pattern may vary somewhat as people move in and out. Sad about your friend who lost her husband in Vietnam..but I hope she has found a way to continue to 'dance.'
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting poem. I like it :)
ReplyDeleteI like this! I wrote about square dancing, too, a while back, but not with this form, which I greatly admire. The form and the music and the subject all work so well together.
ReplyDeleteI could feel the rhythm of the dance - also thought -the left hand as the hand wearing the wedding ring - the hand in marriage.
ReplyDeleteI like that. It opens the poem up even more. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteVery rhythmic and beautiful poem.
ReplyDeleteexcellent how you weave the story into the dance pattern gay...so sorry for her loss...sometimes it's not easy to dance that dance of life...
ReplyDeletehaha this is awesome....you know my parents are amateur square dancers, so i am fairly familiar with the terminology as well...but we do dance through life as well...i like the metaphor...
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely rhythm and form Gay ~ I like the dance instructions weaving with the scene ~ But how sad in the ending of the dance ~
ReplyDeleteVery impressive. Sad in a way, but not so at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWell as noted, the dancers are moving on through life; war, illness, accident take some; but the dance goes on - life, love, romance, family, children, grandchildren and the caller calls. Couples link, change partners, bow, promenade, travel on from place to place. I think there is joy and majesty always measured against loss to make us grateful for the journey.
ReplyDeleteIt really is a perfect structure for this form! I love it.
ReplyDeleteThis form is so perfect for the subject. And I love how you've interweaved the poignancy of bereavement with the frivolity of office parties etc. Quite the contrast. There's a quatern at my place too today.
ReplyDeleteI always loved square dancing in school (yes, I was a geek), and I loved the way this took me from those memories to something far more haunting and poignant. Great use of the form.
ReplyDeletevery nice...love the metaphor
ReplyDeleteI wish I could do it...awesome poem!
ReplyDeletenever thought of it that way... interesting metaphor
ReplyDeleteI think you chose quite wisely with this form. I impressed myself for knowing almost all the square dance terms employed here. (part of gym class when I was younger.)
ReplyDeletedefinitely a touching write.
gripping, Gay... have to admit i did not expect the turn - took me totally off guard.
ReplyDeletea quatern, too! i'm hooked since you introduced them... great work.
powerful piece Gay!
ReplyDelete...really a passionate write and oh so sad... i think having this done in Quatern fits very well your subject... i don't know pretty much 'bout dancing as i, myself, didn't get the talent to do such so this reads very interesting to me... smiles...
ReplyDeleteA wonderful quaternary and choosing square dance as a theme made the repeated lines blend to perfection.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the square dance and the quatern are a good match--as is the sign up to dance class and the TET loss! Your poem gripped me with its life stopped in youth, just as stories from the towers grip me--all those people planning to "see you later." I bet he would have been a good partner.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I tried this in school, I would get confused and often we would be falling like dominos! (I was quite clumsy :) ) I do like to watch it though!
ReplyDeleteWhen life throws us an odd step... we must keep dancing.
ReplyDeleteThe Quatern lives in TX; very cool. All the world may be a stage, our dialogue scripted, our movements a dance, but it is the perpetual motion, with the soul sheets for sails that keeps the volition extant; liked this poem a lot.
ReplyDeleteTragic about the TET loss...couldn't help clapping my hands to the rhythm of this. Great job!
ReplyDeletea little sad and still happy metaphor for life, cool poem...loved the rhythm, can feel the dancers dancing in this, thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour photo, too, emphasizes the youth of the one lost and how the dance just keeps on through it all. The metaphor works well and I liked the power of the refrain.
ReplyDeletewow i love this ~ the rhythm and the surprise of it. well done~
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done, perfect use of this form to display the unending round and round.
ReplyDeleteI like the rhythm of the square dance. The Quatern captures this so well.A touch of black humour here, the juxtaposition of the serious topic with the light form.
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation of it anyway. Thank you for introducing us to this form .Looking forward to your next surprise.
The tragedies of life's challenges should not be obstacles to go on living the life we want. Nicely Gay!
ReplyDeleteHank
Back in the day... (70's) square dance was the only contact allowed at school with members of the opposite gender. Needless to say, we all LOVED to square dance! :-)
ReplyDelete