A Waltz With You Poem by Satis Shroff

A WALTZ WITH YOU (Satis Shroff)



Ah, the sound of Vienna begins.

I execute a perfect circular waltz,

With you in a gown

And I in tails,

After the pre-ball sekt.



It's amazing how even teenagers

Go voluntarily to learn

How to waltz,

And how to kiss a lady's hands,

Impeccably.



I learned it at socials

Organised by the nuns of St. Helen's

And the Christian Brothers of Ireland.

When the ‘ladies choice' was announced

By the Master of Ceremonies,

You could feel the adrelanin

Surging in your young blood.



It helps to develop your self-confidence,

In a society where balls are a way of life.



But a waltz in Vienna,

Is a legacy of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph.

Strauss and Mozart rule the dancing floors.

In palaces, concert halls, posh hotels,

The 19th century Sofiensaal.

You dance in your polished best,

For the Viennese or your society.

The art of formal greeting,

Bowing, hand-kissing,

How to ask for a dance,

And how to introduce people.

Correct Viennese etiquette is well-seen:

Küss die Hand gnädige Frau,

You look so lovely tonight.



The ambient, the rustling silk clothes,

The moving violins, the pricking sekt,

And the swirls whirl you

To another baroque world.