And Philly Danced

The year was 2018,

And for the first time ever,

Our team spread their wings Winning the game of the year,

Finally earning their rings.

And we danced in the streets together.

The summer of 2020:

Protests and riots broke out.

Our city, again, came together,

Marching and chanting loudly. We would not be silenced, ever,

As we danced in the streets together.

Later that year in November,

The voting lines went on forever.

We waited in lines six feet apart,

And someone set a speaker up. The bass beat stole our heart,

So we danced in the streets together.

The days that followed the voting As the workers tallied away:

The tension grew thick and fraught,

With threats against democracy itself.

So we did what we’ve been taught,

And we danced in the streets together.

Finally four long days later

The news of a tyrant dethroned

Broke everywhere nation-wide

And traffic stopped in the street,

A relieved, deep breath was sighed

As we danced in the streets together.

September of 2021,

Ida’s floods struck our home.

We failed to prepare for that day.

A week of wreckage in her wake,

But when a brass band began to play

We danced in the streets together.

Now we’re up to 2022.

Workers are fighting for justice.

I walked by a picket line to see

A makeshift DJ and laughter.

All were invited to join the party,

So, once again, we danced in the streets together.

It’s what I love about this place.

Whether we’re happy, angry, or scared,

This is a city that knows resistance Comes from joy that must be shared.

Which, I think, is why we always

Return to dancing in the streets together.