Two toes en pointe must tap and twist,
Each step and turn, a calculated risk
Upon a stage, in a theater, with bright, stagnant lights,
A woman steps and taps as one would upon knives
Yet she dances en pointe, her features sharp and refined
She dances as one would at the end of their life
Every part is perfected, right down to the lace
Though in pain, not a crinkle or frown mars her face
Serene as stone as if dancing on clouds
She pretends not to see the deadly face of the crowd
They stare on with hunger
As a hunter would to its prey
But she dances on air
As she does every day
The music swells, and she keeps herself tall
The onlooking crowd waits for the moment she’ll fall
The bones beneath her feet snap and crack
But, the remains of the fallen will not set her back
With more grace than a gazelle, she moves, ignoring all the stares
She ignores what lies beneath her, but dances with care
A performance of a lifetime that ends only one way
She faces it all with pride and another gentle sway
The wolves are quiet for the moment at hand
They watch and wait knowing how it will end
The woman is just as aware as she moves through the routine
But, just as determined, she pretends not to see
She’ll dance til her bones are broken
Yet, she remains a glowing picture of grace
She refuses to surrender without saving face
If the outcome is set, she’ll at least make them wait
So, she watches and waits knowing all too well
Should she, for a moment, misstep, stumble, or falter
She’d take her last breath not a moment longer
The gaping jaws of the crowd will, at once, be upon her
No mercy is spared, be it wife or daughter
So, she dances till death like a lamb to the slaughter
Author’s Note:
This piece was inspired primarily by my interpretation of ballet and how, I feel, it best represents what it means to be a woman. To me, ballet being as much a performance as it is a sport that requires grueling training, flexibility, and self-destruction all to appear effortless and graceful when performing on stage really sums up the experience of being a woman in a male-dominated world. To look, act, and sound perfect while making all of it look easy and hiding the broken feet we are forced to dance upon each day, all while knowing we will still be undervalued and overridden in the end -To me, that is what being a woman is.
Aayah Vickers | 17 | Durham, NC
