Little girl twirls
over orange shag carpet,
tries for full rotations
like the lovely olympians
on their silver blades.
She's not yet lost
her body to puberty, to hiding
behind big shirts hung
from hunched shoulders.
Somewhere between "ideal weight"
and "not defrauding" you forget,
you forget the miracle of a soul's house.
You forget you live here,
in and through yourself,
not as a temptation
within men's minds.
When you dance again,
alone in your tiny room, feel
the stretch of your torso,
the length of your legs,
the grace of your wrists.
Feel life thumping against your throat
and remember, remember, dear,
God called your body good.
over orange shag carpet,
tries for full rotations
like the lovely olympians
on their silver blades.
She's not yet lost
her body to puberty, to hiding
behind big shirts hung
from hunched shoulders.
Somewhere between "ideal weight"
and "not defrauding" you forget,
you forget the miracle of a soul's house.
You forget you live here,
in and through yourself,
not as a temptation
within men's minds.
When you dance again,
alone in your tiny room, feel
the stretch of your torso,
the length of your legs,
the grace of your wrists.
Feel life thumping against your throat
and remember, remember, dear,
God called your body good.
My daughters both danced, and still do. My oldest teaches creative movement to cildren, and my wife goes to dance class. I love that they feel this movement of their bodies is a pure joy and expression of who they are. As a man, I know how we men hav e made this joy difficult to experience. But I take great delight in my daughters and wife when they feel this freedom and joy. I'm glad you wrote about it. I watch my 5 year old graddaughter dance. The slow twirl seems to be the essence of her dancing.
ReplyDeleteDancing is wonderful! (Though, to be honest, I know nothing about it other than twirling around by myself. Your granddaughter and I would get on just fine!) I have a friend who is a sit down dancer--that is, one in a wheel chair. She brings a beautiful, new dimension to the performances of the university dance students. When I watch her dance, I feel like I get a glimpse of heaven.
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