The Flamenco......,........A poem by Vic Davey

I heard the strains of guitar music coming from a nearby bar.

The sound attracting lots of folk from both near and far.

It was a tablao putting on a popular flamenco show.

Real and authentic it was said by those in the know.

I squeezed inside and pushed my way through the excited throng.

I reached the bar just as a girl began a plaintiff song.

A couple stepped on to the stage, he dressed all in black

She in red, a traditional dress, frilled and ruched at the back.

They stamped their feet and clapped their hands in true flamenco fashion.

Twisting and twirling as the music rose, filled with fire and passion.

Their dance told of lives and of so much more

Of families torn apart by the tragedy of war.

Brother against brother, father against son.

The struggle to rule and the Dictator who won.

The years of oppression and the misery which came

For ordinary people, life was never the same.

Then the mood of the music and the dance became lighter

Full of life and excitement for a future much brighter

A new age had dawned after years of despair 

The old swept away with scarcely a care.

The music and dance which had kept us enthralled

Ended with a flourish and then, with a pause

Folk were up on their feet, and with clapping and cheering

The tablao was over and I set about leaving.

The memory stayed with me for many a day

And as I look at the old folk, they all seem to say

We lived through the hard times, the fear in the night

But when life's at its darkness there's always hope and there's light.