Merimbe*

The only man in a Spanish nightclub

Who is younger than forty

Or so it would seem.

The boy all of a sudden feels

Like a minnow

Among great blue whales.

But Adela is here.

Aglow and angelic

And delighted I’m here with her friends.

They dance dances that I don’t know.

I wonder if I should go.

There’s no one else here that I know.

Then Adela asks me to dance.

I’ve known her much of my life.

Someone’s mother

Another person’s wife.

But she’s loved me like a son

Through thick and through thin

And with a silly grin

I take her hand.

Among the jostling bodies

Loud horns and steel drums

We move slow and gently

On the dance floor.

I catch sight of Adela’s face

Transported and swept away.

Every step, every beat

Takes her closer to heaven.

Dancing must be her prayer

Her great escape

I’m honored to share the moves with her

And hold this angel tight.

I’d follow Adela anywhere.

Especially if it means sharing

In her joy.

· to Bubbie, my Second Mother, with Love