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Return to Temptation.


Melvin's dead.

A cloud-nine moves

a 4-step sway to the left

in 5-part harmony;

the sun shines at half-mast;

silent nights have a fit.

Melvin's dead.

I am 13 again

sitting in a new beginner

bra, first stockings

and heels, facing

the stage at Leo's Casino

holding my breath.

The space darkens as David,

doo glistening glis·ten  
intr.v. glis·tened, glis·ten·ing, glis·tens
To shine by reflection with a sparkling luster. See Synonyms at flash.

n.
A sparkling, lustrous shine.
 like black

magic, sequined se·quin  
n.
1. A small shiny ornamental disk, often sewn on cloth; a spangle.

2. A gold coin of the Venetian Republic. Also called zecchino.

tr.v.
 lapel flashing

moonlight, steps up letting a smooth

note float from a mouth

made for singing.

"Sunny," and Temptation

fills the room

like new money.

I watch, throat dry,

as fall leaves, as Eddie,

Melvin, Otis, and Paul

fall into steps so together

they are one movement.

Melvin's dead.

The psychedelic shack A psychedelic shack was an underground club of sorts in the late-1960s and early 1970s, dedicated to psychedelia, psychedelic music and rock music, "flower power" mentality, and the hippie lifestyle in general.  opens,

filled with spirits

chanting

"psychedelic shack that's where it's at,

psychedelic shack that's where it's at,"

champagne popping corks

like banana-brown fingers,

punch spiked

with shaking bodies

and doo-wops bubbling.

Melvin's dead.

I want to ride

on Ol' Man River,

carve out a canoe canoe (kən`), long, narrow watercraft with sharp ends originally used by most peoples.  

bare fingers bleeding

"yesterday."

Paddle An input device that moves the screen cursor in a back-and-forth motion. It has a dial and one or more buttons and is typically used in games to hit balls and steer objects. See joy stick.

Paddle - A language for transformations leading from specification to program.
 into his heart

pump it up

pump it up

pump it up

so full of love

it rises.

Grab one of them 9 lives

God gives cats

on a regular basis

so Melvin can get

back in line

back in step

let out a single

note -

return to

Temptation.

Mary Weems lives in Champaign, Illinois “Champaign” redirects here. For topics with similar names, see Champagne.
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. As reported in the 2000 U.S. Census, the city was home to 67,518 people.
.
COPYRIGHT 1999 African American Review
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1999, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Article Details
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Author:Weems, Mary
Publication:African American Review
Article Type:Poem
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Sep 22, 1999
Words:217
Previous Article:The Myth of Music.(Poem)
Next Article:Answering "The Waste Land": Robert Hayden and the Rise of the African American Poetic Sequence.
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