The Old Man
The old man settled in his easy chair
By a window so he can watch the world go by
The radio plays the oldies
And he feels once forgotten movements
Muscle memories gifted from his past
And soon his raggedy slippers are tapping
As he moves across the floor
Grabbing his umbrella for support and panache
Chapeau set at a jaunty angle
He taps along with movement copied from Gene Kelly
Invisible rain pouring down as he dances in the puddles
Twirls and shuffles galore
Umbrella extended outwards in movements full of new-found joy
As he feels the music deep within
Wings and Cincinnati’s
Hops and jumps
Some soft shoe sandwiched in between
He settles for a final pose
Right beside his well-worn chair
And settles in to view the passing world
A smile on his face
And a still tapping foot
Chin perched upon the handle of his dance partne
r