I stay,

They dance in a rhythm
That the body knows as if on its own
Because it is so easy to learn,
So intuitive
And they dance it slow, slow
So slow that it is not even a dance
Nobody would want to watch it on stage
But they don't care who is watching
They dance for the rhythm
Letting the body feel it and sway with it
They dance for the company
Linking their arms with the next person
And they dance it slow
Becaue they don't want to be tired
Even after hours of dancing
Gaining reassurance 
Of their place in the world
As the night draws to a close
Gaining a love that will
For ever after run in their veins
And most importantly,
Gaining roots
Which there is no other way to gain

And they sing songs
Songs that say everything there is to say
not a word out of place
and not a feeling missed
perfected from generations of practice
encapsulating all the wisdom
all the guidance
you might need at any point in life
all the love
you believe you are
the only person to discover
all the sorrow
that life surprises you with
all the perspective
to deal with it

I shiver

it is the only time i feel alive

and then i cry silent tears
because we are losing it all
first of all,
losing the emotional intensity
that waits for these songs
that draws from these songs
to last all year
we don't need it any more
we have other things to occupy us
entertain and guide us
and that is everything
that we lose

Why did i never hear before
A song that says
That when you plant a short sheaf of rice
It grows to look like a horse's tail
And then it grows as yellow
As the gold ring in your nose
When did i stop needing
To know how beautifully
My food grows
How come my heart
Was never clenched
By how goddesses too felt sad
To leave their mother's home
How come i never asked my sister
How we would meet this year
And how many children she had 
After we last met
And tell her how much i care for her,
Enough to give up my child for her

How come i never ever heard these songs?

And then i cry because
It might be the last time i hear it

Any time i hear one of these songs
Is the last time it might be heard on earth