Electric Slide

Electric Slide

Where there is a DJ and reception hall,
there will be the Electric Slide.
It’s less embarrassing to flail around
when we do it in sync, on purpose.
To learn it, stand behind the group of girls
who run onto the dance floor
when it plays, their heels rapping against
the parquet floor like gum
being snapped. Do not listen to the words,
the voice that rolls lazily over
them. Be ready to turn. The trick to it
is to swivel on one leg while
you hitch the other up. The song is ugly,
so don’t listen too closely
to the synth blasts, the male vocals hollering,
vaguely enthusiastic, It’s Electric!
Once your body borrows the sequence
of steps, look at the dancers
around you. During his grapevine,
notice how one man claps,
and that woman over there, she spins,
the hem of her dress spreading
around her like water. This is a safe dance,
a dance of camaraderie.
You will want everyone around you
to know the steps,
and one day, you will yell out to them
what you have learned--
what they can expect, when to turn.