We Have Come to be Danced

"We have come to be danced 

Not the pretty dance 

Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance 

But the claw our way back into the belly 

Of the sacred, sensual animal dance 

The unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box dance 

The holding the precious moment in the palms 

Of our hands and feet dance. 

We have come to be danced 

Not the jiffy booby, shake your booty for him dance 

But the wring the sadness from our skin dance 

The blow the chip off our shoulder dance. 

The slap the apology from our posture dance. 

We have come to be danced 

Not the monkey see, monkey do dance 

One two dance like you 

One two three, dance like me dance 

but the grave robber, tomb stalker 

Tearing scabs and scars open dance 

The rub the rhythm raw against our soul dance. 

We have come to be danced 

Not the nice, invisible, self-conscious shuffle 

But the matted hair flying, voodoo mama 

Shaman shakin’ ancient bones dance 

The strip us from our casings, return our wings 

Sharpen our claws and tongues dance 

The shed dead cells and slip into 

The luminous skin of love dance. 

We have come to be danced 

Not the hold our breath and wallow in the shallow end of the floor dance 

But the meeting of the trinity, the body breath and beat dance 

The shout hallelujah from the top of our thighs dance 

The mother may I? 

Yes you may take 10 giant leaps dance 

The olly olly oxen free free free dance 

The everyone can come to our heaven dance. 

We have come to be danced 

Where the kingdom’s collide 

In the cathedral of flesh 

To burn back into the light 

To unravel, to play, to fly, to pray 

To root in skin sanctuary 

We have come to be danced 

WE HAVE COME. "

by Jewel Mathieson