Dance

Dance
By Andy Brown

Take two steps forward, Ill take one back.
She eyes me from across the room,
A flood of emotions, sure to ensue
I guess she was attracted too.

I never liked the Latino beat
Take two steps forward, Ill take one back.
But there’s something I appreciate
When your body is rubbing against me.

She’s short, petite in height
But with me she’s just right
Take two steps forward, Ill take one back.
We can learn to dance all night.

Her in my arms, Ill keep you safe
We’ll take it slow and keep the pace
And wait for the song to fade
Take two steps forward, Ill take one back.

I was never one to follow rules
Of course, you already knew
Take two steps forward, Ill take one back.
When I slipped my hand by your side.

You move like suspended from wings
Take two steps forward, Ill take one back.
And I seem to have two left feet
But you take it slow and show me

Take two steps forward, Ill take one back.
As we move from wall to wall,
It’s time for the curtain call,
Hand in hand, we take a bow

Thank you for this wonderful dance,
Hope to see you next chance I get,
I’m sure you’re not done with me yet.
Take two steps forward, Ill take one back.

The Pearl

The Pearl
By Andy Brown

Jump.

So, here I am, again. It’s funny how I keep getting into these situations. Here I stand, before a great, deep lake. How deep? I don’t know. What I do know is that there’s a beautiful and precious pearl that waits for me at the bottom. As I stand here, I begin to weigh my options: should I go for it? Should I turn away and never think about it ever again? If I do try for it, what happens if I get scared and need to come up for air? What if I cant make it to the surface in time? If I do walk away, will I ever stop thinking about this? Will I stay up for nights, regretting not trying for the pearl?

Jump.

“You’re cute,” she said. She circled around him like a shark around a fresh kill. She trailed her long, slender fingers across his waist, stopping only to playfully pull at his belt buckle. He stood with his legs shoulder-width apart and his hands tightly gripped in fists. He was shaking from the nervousness. She took a step away from him and surveyed his body. She held a thumb up and closed one eye, as if she was a sculptor and he was her art. “Perfect,” she said, “perfect.” He was breathing quickly now. From his outside appearance, you could’ve almost guessed he had just ran a marathon. His head was swimming in emotions.

Jump.

So the more I stand here, the more I’m tempted to risk everything I have and dive right in. This is the strangest lake I’ve ever come across, though. My toes dig into the sand and the waves gently lap up against me. Its odd how just a few feet out, it drops so quickly. That drop could go on for feet or yards or miles for all I know. For all I know…Seems like I know nothing right now. There’s just so much to risk. What if I don’t make it out? What if I’m paralyzed afterward? Would such a precious treasure be worth it?

Jump.

They wrestled each other to the ground. He hit the ground first and let out a big huff. She was playfully laughing at pulling at his shirt. He was holding her by the forearms. They stopped moving and looked each other straight in the eyes. They were breathing so hard, you might have thought they had swam the oceans. Their chests moved independently of each other so that when he breathed out, she breathed in. Almost as if they supported each other. She looked at him deeply. He pulled her in and kissed her gently. They spent another moment, which to them was an eternity, locked in a fixed gaze. His lips quivered and he could tell that they were turning blue. He wanted to say it. He knew he wanted to say it. What if she didn’t feel the same way? He could be risking it all. “I love yo--”

Jump.

Goddamn it! Goddamn it, goddamn it, goddamn it! I cant get that incessant voice out of my head. Jump, it tells me. Jump, it says. Jump and you wont regret it. How do you know? How do you know?! What if I lose everything! Why must it come to such an impossible decision. What if I walk away from here? How many nights will I be kept up, thinking about how I should’ve jumped? How many times a day will I just think, I’d be so much happier if I had just jumped? How many years will I go on, regretting, when for just one moment, for just a second…I could try. I could try. Maybe things will be okay, and Ill continue to dive deeper and deeper. Maybe I will get scared and turn back around. No. I can’t turn back around. There’s no way. That lake is far to deep. Wait…wait a minute…what’s that? I can see a girl at the bottom of the lake. It’s her, and she’s smiling. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought, after all. Maybe. Maybe…

Jump.

Now

Now
By Andy Brown

Tell me truth,
Tell me lies,
Tell me anything to cover my eyes.

Be us happy,
Be us sad,
Be us anything but mad.

Make me smile,
‘Cause I can’t frown.
You’ve turned my world upside down.

I’m the one with the pain.
I’m the one with the hate.
I’m the one, negotiate.

Life is blank
Life is dull
This life is the best of all.

Cut the strings
To my past,
Be strong and hold fast.

The day begins,
The day ends,
Today’s the day we start again.

Here’s the way,
Here’s your fate,
Here’s a way to jump this train.

Now you run,
Now you flee,
Now things are the way they are supposed to be.

Don’t look back,
Don’t turn away.
Don’t go another day

without a smile on your face.

27

27
by Andy Brown

A man speaks,
A door opens,
2 hearts beat
And she’s hopin’
He’ll want more
She takes him in(They’re on the floor)
Here, they begin
What they waited for.
He knows what she
Wants and needs,
He knows
Where to go.

Heat,
Care,
Be
Near,
How
Can
She
Stand
What
He
Is?
Before they reach heaven,
She’s just like me.
2 numbers: 27.