Do You Remember Dancing Along To Harry? Poem by Paul Curtis

Do you remember?
When first we met
When we were set up
By our so called friends
Tony and Gwen,
Who quickly abandoned us?
A quick introduction
Then they were gone
Leaving us with each other
How awkward was that?
Being left with a complete stranger
You would never have chosen me
In a million years
And you were not my perfect choice
I had someone different in mind altogether
But their we were
Having to make small talk
With an unsuitable partner
Making do for the moment
While planning an escape
Then the music started
And I asked you to dance
You reluctantly agreed
I wasn’t bothered either way
I thought just one dance
Then I could desert you
With a clear conscience
Then just as we walked, hesitantly,
Onto the dance floor
The up tempo number ended abruptly
And for a moment there was nothing
Just the two of us feeling foolish
And wondering just how
We could leave the dance floor with our dignity
Then the music began again
And Harry Nilsson started to sing
We looked at each other briefly
And resigned ourselves to our fate
There was an awkward coming together
I gingerly put my arms around you
And we shuffled along to the music
Hoping that time would speed up
And the experience be over quickly
But as we danced along to Harry
The gap between us slowly decreased
Inch by inch until we were as one
And at that moment I felt at home
All thought of escape melted away
I never wanted to leave again
And now I wanted time to stand still
So the dance would never end
We hardly left the dance floor all evening
And when we did it was brief
So eager were we to return to our embrace
“Without you” was the song
That we first danced to
And I have not been without you since

5, WHEN DID ACQUAINTANCE

When did acquaintance
Turn into friendship?
When did friendship become affection?
When did affection change to love?
There were no obvious signs
That I can recall
No waves crashing on the rocks
No rockets in the sky
No bells and whistles
No brass band playing
No symbols crashing
But it has happened anyway
Was it when I saw you enter the room?
Or when I first heard you speak
Was it when I heard you laugh?
Or when you first spoke to me
Was it when I saw you smile?
Or when I made you blush
Was it when we danced?
Or when we first held hands
Was it when I stared deeply in to your eyes?
And saw into you soul
Perhaps it was while we kissed
Or when we made love
There was no obvious cause
It was not any one of the above
Yet it was all of them and more