Teach me to dance to only drums
No lights, no crowd—just pulse and lungs
Would you write it—just this once
A love song with my name on the envelope
I kept on waiting, all the way to “ever”
Tonight’s fear won’t crack—not yet
Count me down—three, two, one—lift-off
Fireworks hush, then fade overhead
Still our worry won’t turn pretty
No costume fixes what the night can’t shed
Let me say one thing clearly
If you’ll allow, if you’ll hear me
Already, already
We were beautiful already
Drums alone can carry
We were beautiful already
If all we have are drums, we’re ready
Already, already
World playing grown—rum-raisin vanilla
Smug and sweet; I still take a spoon
I roll my eyes—“so adult”—then snicker
Yeah, the world is kind of adult, too
“From here on like before”—I want to say
Purely when I’m old and worn
Laughing, wrinkling, soaking my liver
My daughter scolds, my grandkid clings
Nights proved aging can feel right
Count them on fingers; let them sing
If the present fear won’t crack tonight
We’ll keep it company—keep time
Clap on two, lean on four
Hi-hat whispers: “one more, one more”
Send me that song addressed to me
I’ll sing it back so you can breathe
Already, already
We were beautiful already
Not by approval, not confetti
If all we have are drums, we’re ready
Body and heart move slow and steady
We were beautiful already
Say it softly, say it heavy
We were beautiful already
That’s alright
