Poetry Monday on Tuesday: Thunder And Lightning And Rain .......

It's Poetry Monday on Tuesday, and this week's topic is a mouthful:  THUNDER AND LIGHTNING AND RAIN ..... and as Delores added, "OH MY!"

What trouble can we get into with this topic? Come along with Delores, Mimi, Diane (yes! she's back!), and me to find out. (MotherOwl is on summer break at the moment.)

If you have a poem you'd like to contribute, you may leave it in the comments or post it on your own blog. If you do the latter, please leave a comment so we'll know where to find you.

Use the topic or not --- just have fun and exercise your brain cells. Writing poetry is like taking your brain for a jog! (or in my case, a stroll ... but every bit counts)

*****

The phrase "thunder and lightning" has been rolling around in my head since last Poetry Monday, and what kept emerging was a fragment of the lyrics from a very snappy song from 1966, covered and taken to #1 in the U.S. in 1979 by Amii Stewart, called Knock On Wood, which you can hear -- and see -- here.  I thought if I looked up the song on YouTube I might get it out of my head and then proceed with the poetry topic.

I found the video a wee bit cringey at first, because of the gold lame and incessant hip action, but then something happened right at the 2:07 mark, when I began to realize just how talented Amii Stewart and her backup guys were as dancers. They had impressive precision, flexibility, and stamina. Those moves are not easy at that pace.

How would I even begin to know that? Well, the video reminded me of the aerobics classes I took in the 80s, except I wore shorts and T-shirt instead of high heels and yards of gauze like Amii did.

I really liked aerobics. It was similar to Jazzercize and Zumba which came along later, but back then it was a new and different kind of exercise and very much connected with the high energy, beat-driven music of that era. I was in the best shape of my life when I took those classes.

Aaaaaaaand that's when I knew the topic had grabbed me and taken me down a completely different road than I expected.

Join me, then, as I go back to the days when I had one toddler, a slim physique, and a twice-a-week date with twenty or so other ladies and some great rhythmic music to jump and crash around to . . .

*****

Get On Yer Pink Tights And Aqua Bodysuits, Folks

After our toddlers were parked at day care
And after ascending two steep flights of stairs
We ladies would spend forty minutes to sweat
A privilege we paid out good money to get

Most of us worked to get back into shape
After having our babies had made us gain weight
The funniest part -- looking back, anyhow --
Is how skinny I actually was (unlike now)

Led by a boot-camp instructor wannabe
We marched and we kicked and we jumped -- oh did we!
The beat of the music propelled us along
And we felt energized by each high-octane song

A-one and a-two and a-three and a-four
We thundered like rhinos upon that gym floor
A-five and a-six and a-seven and a-eight
Our adrenaline surged, as did every heart rate

I can still hear those songs in the back of my mind
They transport me back to a very good time:
Hall and Oates, Blondie, Donna Summer, and Queen
Dolly and Joan Jett, J. Geils and Irene

In fact, as I sit on my chair, here and now
I'm thinking of how I can get back that "wow"
So excuse me; I'm going to dig up some songs
And head back to the eighties where I think I belong

I didn't dress like this but some did, headband and legwarmers and all

*****

I went off topic again, didn't I? But I did use "thundered" -- did you spot it?

I'm thrilled that Diane has re-joined Poetry Monday -- it was her idea to begin with and Delores and the rest of us were just keeping it going in her absence. The link to her blog is at the beginning of this post. Welcome back, Diane!

And next week's topic, courtesy of Diane, is going to be ............. A CHILDHOOD HERO ................... Good luck!