Do The Watusi
 
And all the voices in my head keep screaming, “Do the watusi! Do the watusi!”
And I don’t know if they mean the dance, or if they mean for me to kill the native woman who runs the grocery store at the end of the block?
Yet the voices in my head keep screaming, “Do the watusi! Do the watusi!”
 
I roll outta bed and hit the concrete, wishing for one sane day,
and I am greeted by the sunshine, and a cawing bird, and those voices in my head.
They say, “Do the watusi! Do the watusi!”
And I question “why?”
 
Why should I do the watusi? Why should I dance?
Why should I shake and shimmy? Why should I take a chance?
Why is the world like it is? Why should I fall in line?
Why should I do what everyone wants me to do? Why should I watusi?
 
And the voices in my head keep screaming, “Do the watusi! Do the watusi!”
And I know they want me to dance. The voices in my head want me to dance to the music, and bend to their will. The voices in my head want to be in control.
But I don’t want to dance the watusi.
I don’t want to dance the watusi!
I don’t want to dance the watusi!
I wanna rock and roll!
 
And I get through the morning without dancing to the music, without bending to their will.
And I get through my morning without dancing to the music, by ignoring the beat.
And the flow doesn’t work if I don’t dance the watusi.
And suddenly I understand.
And I’m not alone.
And the world isn’t controlling me.
 
No I won’t dance the watusi, and I won’t do the ska.
I won’t do the waltz, and I won’t twist and shout.
I’ll dance to my own beat, thank you very much.
And I’ll do as I please, because I don’t like the watusi.
And I don’t like the waltz.
I’m in control.
 
And suddenly the day seems brighter, and more as I want it to be.
The world isn’t going to control me. No! The world isn’t going to control me.
I’ll watusi if I wanna.
And I’ll ska as I please.
I’ll twist and shout out of rhythm, and I’ll waltz out of time.
I’m not a puppet on a string, or a mannequin to pose.
I’m me, and that’s all that matters.
 
So the voices in my head can stop screaming, and the music can change its beat.
Cause I won’t do the watusi tonight.
No I won’t do the watusi tonight.
 
By R.A. Melos
 
copyright 2003

Back to Poetry Index