smiling through gritted teeth
and laughing
because nobody ever told us
what to do when the music
fades and people stop
dancing.

quiet is not contemporary or cathartic
but crypt-like and even the slightest

skip is reason for worry because
people panic when they start to realize that
the background beat has faded away completely.

the jukebox is refusing quarters
the record player is standing still
the radio is on the fritz
the cd player is jammed
the mp3 is out of battery
and the disc jockey…well…

he went back to school
got a finance degree
put on a suit
got in his car
drove to wall street and

silently dies
each day of his life.