Music jitters around my living room
And I dance with my dogs.
They leap and bark,
A swirl of black and white and plumy tails.
Gleaming brown eyes
Open pink mouths
Lolloping tongues
Hard nailed claws scraping my skin
I laugh and grab slippery paws
Bump pointy elbows
Sing with off-tune yowls and yelps
Wiggle hips to hind-leg wobbles
Heat and energy
Throbbing life
Wild love
Caught in the strains of old rock.
And I feel the brush of soft fur
Hot-breathed heads panting
The pleasure of their adoration
The joy of dancing with dogs on a winters night.
As the music softens
And the dark closes around
I think of the partner who once danced with dogs
And with me.