"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.
