Lovely flash dancing brothers, sleek skin
& wavy hair, grace that white stage  

with leaps, splits, twists, coat tails
streaming, torsos coasting together, then  

apart on that slick surface, coming up
from splits as if pulled by a string,  

what magic you wove
with sinew & strength  

in the madhouse of a country
afire with noose & torch  

& frost-ridden faces lined
by midnight shadows.

~Brothers Fayard & Harold, 1914-2006 & 1921-2000, respectively, who became well-known during the Harlem Renaissance for their unique style of dancing, known as “flash dancing”