At Last

9:36 pm

“Come closer and listen!”
We crowded nearer to the record player,
My sisters and I holding hands
Swaying and believing each word she said

Tell Mama to join us!
Together, we became the lady tribe
We danced and swayed until the world
Faded back in

Dreaming of our debonair lovers
We one day would meet
She sang the anthem of love for a generation
A jazzy tune for a heart’s beat

We needed a strong voice to help us remember
A bellow that forced us to listen
A song that helped us to dream
A place to find strength and courage.

At last my lover came
Dance with me, I commanded
We danced as much as we could
We danced ‘till we no longer felt our feet

This is what I have been waiting for
Something’s got a hold on me
Found a love that I’d rather go blind
Than forget

I remember that voice as I walk down the aisle
That reminded me each day is a note
In this beautiful and tragic thing
We call life.

She sang until her heart was content
She sang through trials
Her anthem of recovery
A story of wisdom and grace

At least she is free, but not lost
She is not gone but not yet dead
May we call out to our daughters
To come and listen

Sing the songs that she has given us
Believing what she has said
Dancing and swaying
Until the world fades out.