The Homecoming Dance

Jay and Jenna, everybody knew,

Were the picture of young love shining through.

King and queen beneath the Friday night lights,

But when graduation came, life called their names,

She headed west and he chased different dreams.

Texas skies and East Coast work instead,

As the years rolled on ahead.

They'd meet every ten years at the homecoming dance,

Two old flames caught in a twist of chance.

The music would play and the world disappeared,

Like no time had passed through the years.

Then the song would end and they'd go their own way,

With a smile on their lips and a price left to pay.

They still never got the timing right,

Ten years later at the old gym floor,

The spark was the same as it was before.

She wore a ring from a kind man's hand,

A good husband doing all he can.

Jay was single, but he knew the line,

So they shared one dance and left it behind.

Folks whispered as they watched them sway,

"What a shame those two didn't find a way."

They'd meet every ten years at the homecoming dance,

Two old flames caught in a twist of chance.

The music would play and the world disappeared,

Like no time had passed through the years.

Then the song would end and they'd go their own way,

With a smile on their lips and a price left to pay.

They never still never got the timing right,

Years rolled on like a river runs,

Her marriage faded and came undone.

But this time Jay had a family of his own,

A loving wife and children grown.

His wife just smiled and watched them spin,

Seeing the old spark still there within.

She said, "Honey, I understand,

Some stories start before our plans."

Then one cruel morning the good Lord called,

His wife went home and the whole town mourned.

Jenna came with the man she'd found,

And stood beside him on sacred ground.

No words were needed there that day,

Just old friends finding their way.

They hugged goodbye and walked away.

The years grew heavy, their hair turned white,

The dances grew fewer with each passing night.

Then Jay went first and the town laid him down,

Beneath an old oak on the edge of town.

Every year Jenna would come that way,

And close her eyes to yesterday.

Her feet moved softly through the autumn air,

Like her old dance partner was standing there.

They'd met every ten years at the homecoming dance,

Two old flames caught in a twist of chance.

The music would play and the world disappeared,

Though a lifetime kept them apart down here.

The song always ended, they'd say goodbye,

And wonder what might have been in another life.

They never got the timing right on this side of Heaven's door,

But they don't have to worry about timing anymore.

When Jenna passed, the town all knew

Exactly what they ought to do.

They laid her down by Jay at last,

Beside the oak where the shadows pass.

Beyond the clouds where bluebirds fly,

A fiddle sings in the sweet by and by

No missed chances no years to roam

Just Jay and Jenna dancing home