All the colors of the rainbow swirl around me
As I step into the ring of dancers
Women’s sari skirts are covered in mirrors and beads
Skirts of scarlet and saffron with rubies,
Skirts of turquoise and violet with amethysts
That twinkle and glitter
Bangles, like mother of pearl, shimmer iridescently
Earrings dangle from earlobes
Necklaces sparkle around necks
As I raise my garba sticks, to click with the person across me,
The music is loud and the energy in the room is palpable
I twirl around in unison with all the other girls
And raise my sticks for one last click
We move to the left and the others move to the right
I’m smiling like there’s no tomorrow
The music changes
Now it’s something even more energetic
Shirts are swirling faster and faster and faster
People, like spinning tops fly around the hall
Everyone getting more and more breathless
I am laughing so hard that I can hardly breath
Our sticks all click in synchrony
Click
Clack
Click
Clack
Until our feet have danced away