Alarm

Strangers assume
The worst

My wife
Is a terrorist

Because she counts in her head
And moves her arms
In what looks to be a prayer

They tap each other lightly
With their feet
As if to say
Check out crazy

Perhaps a seizure
Perhaps a bomb
A final prayer
Before she takes you to the netherworld

Whispers and shifting eyes
A nervous concern

Until I say
In an outside voice

She's a professional dancer
She's reviewing choreography

Relief and laughter
They thought she was a terrorist
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4.23.08