Choreography Poem by Jan Sand

The waltz of warmth
That dances in and out
Of each year
Is played on instruments
That seem sturdy.
Their change of tone
Takes place in increments
Masked by melody.
Here and there a note
Slides glissando, squeaks
Like a scratch on glass
To leave the ear insecure

As to the intent
Of the composition.
We discover that we waltz
Out of step, beset
By dissonance.
Crops fail. Vengeful winds
Pull and render
Dwellings into shreds.
Famine swells baby bellies.
Floods and avalanches
Rise crescendo
To match the harmony.
We have fiddled with
The rules of composition,
So, must learn to dance
To a different tune.