Time Travel

Ninety-nine nanoseconds ago
I learned how to ask about dates
in Mandarin.

Jinnian shi yijiujiujinian? –
“Nineteen ninety-what?”

Nineteen ninety-what?..

Nineteen ninety-nine,
the forever new
year of nineteen ninety-nine,
the new year of
what?..

Dancing the night away as they say,
there’s no number I know how to say
after nineteen ninety-nine,
the last year of
what?..

Dancing the night away,
dancing the Only Way
in the arms of
nineteen ninety-who?..

Where does the night go
when you dance it away?

When you dance your night
away?..

There’s nothing left to learn,
nineteen ninety-love,
dancing out of your arms
into the arms of no return,

dancing your arms away
in the year
two thousand away,
in the year
two thousand never again,
in the year
two thousand done deal,
two thousand no regrets,
two thousand farewells –

Na nian shi na nian?..