movement
point, step, rise – don’t forget to breathe,
don’t forget the arms.
soften the arms –
the fingers.
Ignore the mirror, the temptation –
“Don’t look at yourself in the mirror, now!”
no silvered, dazzling reflections
now the feet, quick-step
One-Two-Three-and-One-Two-Three-and …
first arabesque, or is it –
“Second arabesque, girls, second arabesque!”
shift the arms to match the pink-embroidered others,
except don’t forget the feet
One-Two-Three-and-One-Two-Three-and …
Oh, for a breeze, a brief respite –
concentrate, now, focus,
hold your core, feel your center, feel the,
the parallelism like mathematics of your leg,
the floor,
turn your head and smile …
One-Two-Three-and-One-Two-Three-and …
“You, remember your foot, don’t sickle, that’s better!”
There, but it’s so hot now, pools of sweat
tears
inside and outside,
Focus.
Only – only another
One-Two-Three-and-One-Two-Three-and …
One.

Pose.

Don’t flinch.

Smile, head straight.

curtain’s going down, that’s better, the light shuts off,
Music’s silent, isn’t it, now there’s a breeze, finally.

“Well done, girls, well done!”
still a thousand more practices, more evenings
caught like a firefly under the spotlight
fluttering
But it’s all worth it, really.

Worth it.