Night In The Ballroom Poem by Justin Gildow

There's a costume party in the ballroom
And in all the other rooms
There other guests socialize and have a laugh
While taking time out posing for photographs

The look for us all tonight seems like something ripped out of Poe Evermore
And everywhere you look
There's signs of love and adoration

I come alone
All decked out in a black suit

I make my way to the bar
As I walk, I glance up at the chandeliers swaying
I then return my gaze to the bar and grab a seat on a stool
The bartender asks me what I'd like to drink
I say to him a green tea
Seconds later my green tea is delivered
I take my drink and face the couples slowdancing on the ballroom floor
Dancing and swaying to the music by a band that's joined with a large orchestra

I plop down a tip for the bartender
And I get off my stool and leave with my drink in my hand
Curious to see what's going on in the other rooms outside the ballroom

I walk through each of the rooms
Offering some small talk and a smile
As I walk along
I admire all the works of art
From sculptures to paintings

In a corner of one of the rooms
Two chairs, a table, and a game of chess is all set up
I walk by the table looking at the chessboard and pieces

Suddenly, she joins me by the side
And challenges me to a game of chess
I accept her challenge
While complimenting her on her black dress

We sit down

We enjoy matching our wits and minds against each other
One by one the pieces disappear
Until we're at our last reserves
Try as I might, you beat me
You offer me a smile
You extend your hand out for me to shake
And you tell me ' better luck next time '

A while later I return to the ballroom
Many couples are still slowdancing
I lean against the wall
Taking in the atmosphere
Enjoying myself
Enjoying it all

She taps me on the shoulder
And she says she's looking for a partner for this last dance
So I accept her offer to dance
She grabs my hand and lead me out on to the ballroom floor
Surrounded by all the other dancing couples

So I let you lead
And I follow
We talk and smile during this last song
As well as just taking all the energy from the night
We enjoy this time in the ballroom
We enjoy this night in the ballroom