0 Just Breathe

She was a dancer,
From the top of her delicately held head,
To the tips of her pointed toes.
She walked with grace,
And poise,
And turned out feet
(Sometimes waddling like a duck...)

All could see she was
Different.

She possessed a confidence
And twinkle in her eye
That could only be achieved
Through countless memorable and irreplaceable performances,
Laying it all out on stage.

When the music began
It would fill the room
Leaking through the cracks underneath the doors,
Overflowing with beauty and emotion,
Always unique.
These feelings had to be reflected
And felt deeply through her movements,

So the music filled the heart of the dancer,
And helped her fill the hearts of everyone
Watching.

She liked to sit in the middle of the studio
When no one was there
And close her eyes
Letting the echoes of past dancers
Spark a fire in her soul
Or just rekindle the dwindling flame.

Good things
Though,
Come at a price.

Sometimes the pressure would become
Intoxicating,
Like the fumes of hairspray
In the dressing room before a recital.

She focused on executing the steps
Flawlessly,
While musicality and emotion
Were placed on the back burner.
That's when the walls would seemingly begin to
Close in.

All of a sudden,
She couldn't breathe.

So she fled
To find refuge at home.

The rain pounded on the roof
Like a constant, strong drumbeat
Or the rhythm of her heart.

She leapt into the droplets,
Cold and sickness
The least of her worries.
Laughing,
She threw her head back
And caught the drops on her tongue,
Feeling them sparkle on her eyelashes,
Running down her neck,
And dripping off the ends of her fingertips.

Not a care in the world,
She soared over the puddles
And spun through the muddy grass.

Barefoot,
She danced on the cold, slick sidewalk
To the music of the rain
And her heartbeat.

No audience
Meant no one to please.

She could relax
And just breathe,
Finally.

THIS
brought her joy.

To move with the earth,
Adorned in crystals from the sky,
Smiling,
Letting go,

Dancing in the rain.

She was
Free.

--Juliette Z., 14