Birds of paradise dance
to impress
the opposite sex something like
Pieter Breughel’s “Peasant Dance.”
The men folk dance
kick legs in the air—their very large feet.
Sturdy men display their colors: red, black, white
(one wears a long black sword)
a small curved horn on the ground.
Village square? Tropical jungle?
A bird of paradise makes strange sounds--
the bag piper with his cheeks puffed out
squeezes out weird music for the dance.
Hands reach out toward each other.
They want. They want. They all want something.
A woman with a red purse hands
bread to a child.
A man and a woman kiss on the lips--
earthen jugs passed around.
They dance. They dance.
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