Escape

Want to go dancing tonight?

God yes.

It took three cars to spill us in front of an unassuming black door named GROUND ZERO. We piled inside, swearing bitterly at the arctic wind, the snow-covered sidewalks, and the lack of parking. My hands marred by thick black Xs, we all crammed into a booth near the S&M show. Caffeine and booze made the rounds, and the club slowly filled.

I loved watching the people here. Everything was shaded black, from the man in the kilt and the ruffled shirt, to the couple straight from a vampire Victorian ball. The first person on the dance floor, swathed in tight leather, was either completely wasted or really couldn't dance - I guessed some of both. The bass was a siren call, pounding under my breast bone and in the soles of my feet. I held out for twenty minutes - half an hour? - before giving in.

Imagine you've been walking in a desert for months and you fall into an ice water bath. Imagine you've been flying forever, caught in a hurricane and blown off course, and you finally spot a bit of land. Imagine you've been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and you discover a way to turn off your brain.

This was more than all of that.

Thump thump thump

it's the sound of the bass

it's the sound of the beat

it's the sound of your heart

the music is your blood

the music is your bones

all you have to do is

be.