Poem - Safety First

I began a dance with a friend and they commented that they had just escaped from a mangling, I mean to say, an unpleasantly rough dance partner. I commented that it was too bad that flinging oneself to the side was not an option. These thoughts later led me to write the poem “Safety First”. While this poem is in humor, my friend's encounter is an unfortunate reality. Leads need to dance as a cooperative affair instead of forcing their partner to participate in a spectacle only present in the lead's mind.


Safety First

Seeks safety at disaster,
the encounter of a bad dancer,
the kind that prances with themselves
and mangles without a second thought.

Don't panic, call 911.
Stand the sand bags, receive CPR.
Drop and roll, check for bleeding,
stay away from power lines.

The dance continues on,
mortal peril in swing time.
The agony is contrary synced
with the music as background sound.

Remain conscious with open airways,
check for broken bones or fractures,
move to a basement space when it blows,
move to the hill when it floods.

Numbness is a danger sign
of internal shock setting in.
The end is near, one can pray,
that song will end before life expires.

Stack the sand bags, flush the eyes,
light some candles against the dark.
Put on the gas mask to protect,
hide under the table to preserve.

The song is over at long last,
emergency measures brought to bear
in the fight for life on the floor.
Next time just say no to the threat.

© 2016, Sean Green. All Rights Reserved, 20160414.