The Last Waltz

ISLE OF SKYE POEM FUN FACT:
“The Last Waltz” was actually written to the song, “Ballroom Waltz” by the Moscow Symphony. I challenged myself to make the flow of the words and story match with the symphony’s beat.

This exercise required me to time the words with the instruments and make sure the rhyme scheme and story matched the music. The song begins playing at the line, “And so, the music flows.” in the original recording.

The Last Waltz
9/23/20 14:57, 21:22

The cellists straighten into position
Violinists grasp their bows  
Elegant gowns and fresh pressed linen 
Gracefully stand in rows 

And so, the music flows

The maestro nods and sways 
Twirling bodies fill the room 
And I, remain in place 

Between the dancing lace and faces
You somehow catch my gaze
Approaching in slow motion 
As I watch the gliding maze

Surprising is your presence
You smirk 
I blush 
We smile 
“May I have this dance,” you say
“I’ve watched you for a while” 

Your palm, outstretched 
The symphony plays 
I take your hand in mine 
We fall in step 
To ivory tune 
A waltz through passing time 

Forever in one moment
The ballroom slowly wanes
Around us falling minutes
Seconds
Hours
Days  

Decades

The music plays and the maestro sways 
One two, one two, step stop 
A melodic embrace, we move with haste 
Knowing soon, we’ll have to part 

Two steps back
Then, four steps back 
An unbreakable passionate gaze 
The bittersweet end to our first and last waltz

As the symphony silently fades. 

The people begin to mingle 
For a moment we stand in place
You take a silent snapshot of my soul 
And say,

“I’ll always remember your face.”

---

The other day, someone asked me what kind of poet I truly wanted to be. Without a second thought, I blurted out, “I want to write beautiful poems and send them in the mail to my lover like it’s 1852.” That’s why I love this piece so much. Not only did it play with the symphony, but it’s also emulated the beautifully tragic era where people were obsessively romantic, and everyone believed in love at first sight. When they wrote each other poems and songs and sent love letters sealed with wax. When you fell in love and stayed in love, and it was charmingly dramatic. It also wasn’t weird to show up in the bushes or throw rocks at a window…(just saying). Usually, everything was forbidden and people didn’t care. Death for love, ya feel?