SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Several winter storms and record low temps are causing city sidewalks to be nearly impassable by pedestrians without flailing in a way that uniquely mimics skanking, those regrettably familiar with the dance report.
“My trusty Bean Boots usually glide over any winter terrain as smooth as my putt on the 18th hole, but something about the ice this year makes me two-step and swing my arms. I can’t stress enough how much I do not want to be doing this,” software engineer Brendan Ricci explained, huffing from the cardiac effort of three blocks of skanking. “I remember the third wave of ska because I used to relentlessly bully kids who liked it. I have a lot of regrets, but I stand by the fact that they deserved it. No one should get that much joy from a dance that risks punching or kicking anyone within 10 feet.”
Enid Alvaro, an elderly resident of the neighborhood for over 30 years, expressed grave concern for pedestrians and drivers alike.
“I won’t even go outside, it’s so slippery. I don’t drive, but it seems like even the roads are bad, because I keep hearing honking that sounds like an entire brass section,” 83-year-old resident Alvaro lamented over the distant melody of Goldfinger’s “Superman” clearly coming from the floor below. “But the sidewalks are the real problem. My downstairs neighbor kept saying ‘Pick it up, pick it up,’ which I thought was strange because if anything, putting down rock salt would be the smart thing to do. I’m particularly concerned about him falling because he only wears a vest and plaid shorts, no matter the weather!”
Harvey Colvin, Alvaro’s downstairs neighbor, had a lot of skanking knowledge to impart.
“It makes total sense to me that this is happening. The Neanderthals, who if you recall, lived through the Ice Age, were some of the earliest skankers. Speedily switching from one foot to the other gets you across ice more efficiently and looks so much cooler. The human body wants to skank,” Colvin explained between rips of a black and white checkered vape. “It’ll do all these people a world of good to skank a little each day for the six weeks it’ll take this ice to melt. I hope some will become converts and join the scene. The fifth wave is coming!”
At the time of publication, a group of people were seen forming a skanking circle to get across an intersection.
