Mama’s eyes close,
she raises the spatula
as if she were going to orchestrate
the gumbo into existence.
Turns the knob so that we feel
the bass thundering in the walls.

At the start of verse one,
she points to Pops,
walks over,
shoulders oscillating back-and-forth
between the melody.
Pops does the same dance
he's been doing since '73—
left knee, right knee, pop, snap
left knee, right knee, pop, snap
on every other beat.
The sort of dance that has a different
iteration every decade but really
it’s always been the same.


At the start of verse two,
Pops drops his shoulder,
bites his bottom lip,
& does some sort of spin move
pivoting on his left foot.
When he does this it's unclear
if he's hurt his back
or if he's doing an unauthorized
version of the sprinkler.
Mama goes with it, ‘cuz she's fly
like that, & has never left dad
hanging on the dance floor.

At the start of verse three,
something is burning in the kitchen.
Their hands are clasped
now, fingers interlocked,
swinging each other back & forth.
Their feet are now music
of their own, the interplay between
hollow wooden floors & electric guitar.

It's like they made the song
just for them. A reminder
of the playful manifestations of love,
how the harmony of guitar &
trumpet & bass & sweat
& Frankie's voice can create the sort
of levity that ensures love lasts
long after the song has stopped.