Through a chain of Austrian lakes and streams
Attersee’s waters waltz through Seeache creek
to Mondsee Lake to the Ager River to the Traun

and onto the Danube, that ol’ river that inspired
the most famous of all ballroom dances
the quintessential waltz, “The Blue Danube.”

The tale of the waltz is centuries old; conceived
in 3/4 timing, born from the music of Chopin
and Strauss, reaching adolescence in poetic lines

like “tin pans,” “ear scrapes,” “hanging on like death;
such waltzing was not easy,” then its coming of age
in the music parody of Spike Jones

“…the oft told tale is not true…
the Danube is not blue…the Danube is green,
What’s more it ain’t clean…it’s green as a bean

…green as the grass in spring…green as the dollar
you spend on a fling…
green as the paint put on the screen”