The Continental

Written
2008

Fred and Ginger swirl, swirl and sway.

Year after year and into eternity.

    life on celluloid is an always thing.

The Gay Divorcee is a laughable title these days.

In 1934 it was as racy as they could use,

    with the Hays office looking for sex,

    under each tap.

Ginger gave Fred sex.

He gave her class.

Together they gave us,

    a dance for the eons.

A cast of paired hundreds,

    dressing formal black and white,

    danced the Continental.

Perhaps somewhere there is a,

    lady of 99, who is the last of the chorus line

    watching her DVD to again,

    be young and swirling.

I am not arrogant enough to proclaim

    certainly for or against a heaven.

But this I know:

Tonight or tomorrow I can

    watch Ginger and Fred,

    and the cast of hundreds.

    swirl and sway,

    With great youthful smiles on their faces

        long after they have been buried.

Eternity must be pleasant,

    if you can return

    to dance the Continental.

Notes
Published in the Yolo Crow Spring 2009 -volume 13