By Misti Velvet Rainwater
Date: 17 December 1999

Learning the Rhythm

at slumber parties we would sit on
      our sleeping bags
in a dark den and drool
over George Michael and Duran Duran
on MTV
as we drank Cherry Coke
and ate Danish Wedding Cookies 
and Bugles
we would talk about the boys
at school
and muse over
the girls with big boobs
who let the boys touch them
sex was still
the Great Unknown
we would prank call our crushes
and giggle idiotically at
our daring
not quite sure what to do
with our whispering sexuality
we thought the biggest dilemma
was the pain involved
in losing virginity
Madonna told us
that once we got past
the initial excruciating pain
all would be ecstasy
and men would eat out
of our hands
and follow us around
like dogs
with their tongues
hanging out
Cyndi Lauper told us
love could be great fun
as long as we didn't
do crazy things
to our hair
and Tina Turner told us
it was all about
a pair of high heels
and street smarts
so we practiced our pouts
in the mirror
and made our Barbie dolls 
do what we wanted to do
and we lit candles
and asked the Ouija board
who
we would
marry...