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| Tom Barlow |
Break It Down
After the cake is cut, the bouquet thrown,
the toasts made, the bride watches as her
grandparents kiss. She detects tongue action.
OMG, she whispers to her new husband, aren't
they too old for all that? Too old for TikTok, for
cleavage, for high heels, hookups, drag shows
and tattoos and man buns and sex on the beach
so why can’t they stick to counting out their pills
and watching afternoon TV? They should
leave lust to the young where it can't be stopped.
Just look, she whispers, her skirt is too short
to hide her varicose veins and his eyes are glued
to the maid of honor's ass. And now he has his hand
on Grandma's thigh under the table. Have they no
sense of shame? The bride holds her breath then as
her grandparents rise, whisper a request to the DJ,
and when the first licks of James Brown's "Sex Machine" come over the loudspeakers, they take to the dance floor
and break it down.
The room goes nuts.
