Dance Craze
by Mark Danowsky
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She tells me again what she wants is to dance
to read and to dance for two hours
before dinner each night
And all she wants is
not what I think she wants
*
There was a kind of plague
that spread from Germany
across Europe and beyond
Those who fell to the dance
danced until they fell
from exhaustion
Some met bad ends
Onlookers believed a curse
had befallen the entranced
who danced and danced
Others probably thought the same
about infectious laughter
Today some blame ergot poisoning—
others? mass hysteria
*
For those of us who do not aim to dance
it is easy to dismiss as frivolous
as fashion
The dancers claim no agenda
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