Dancing Bear: A Christmas Party Poem by Roy E. Peterson

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Dancing Bear

I came late to the party. I should have stayed away.
When I walked in, I heard the din of party in full sway.
I cannot much remember what happened after that.
____I can recall
____The popcorn ball
__Was playing with the cat.

The women in short dresses stood under mistletoe
To greet the men just walking in while rocking to and fro.
The kisses and the laughter when I came through the door:
____They were enough
____To make it tough
__To not go back for more.

That’s when I saw three Christmas trees, red and white and blue
With Christmas lights that filled the night when they came into view.
Some people have sixth senses. Some have no sense at all.
____I am not sure.
____It was a blur
__Before I took a fall.

I think a woman grabbed me and held me close to her.
I cannot dance, but in a trance I thought I heard a purr.
The eggnog that she gave me was full of alcohol.
____“What do you think?”
____“I do not drink,
__No, never, not at all.”

I must have had a sip of that very special brew
And then another and again I drank a glass or two.
We rocked around the Christmas trees in just our underwear.
____The music hot,
____Another shot,
__I said, “I’m Dancing Bear!”

I know the way I meant it, but then I don’t recall.
“Dancing Bear” just did not care and then he hit the wall.
The next thing I remember the cops were in the house.
____The party done
____And no more fun:
__‘Twas quiet as a mouse.

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LTC Roy E. Peterson, US Army Military Intelligence and Russian Foreign Area Officer (Retired) has published more than 5,000 poems in 78 of his 101 books. He has been an Army Attaché in Moscow, Commander of INF Portal Monitoring in Votkinsk, first US Foreign Commercial Officer in Vladivostok, Russia and Regional Manager in the Russian Far East for IBM. He holds a BA, Hardin-Simmons University (Political Science); MA, University of Arizona (Political Science); MA, University of Southern California (Int. Relations) and MBA University of Phoenix. He taught at the University of Arizona, Western New Mexico University, University of Maryland, Travel University and the University of Phoenix.