The Dance Poem by Sarah H H

It was never in my nature
To open myself up
Quickly to all and sundry
Like a playful little pup.
I have always been quite shy
A desire to feel reassured
That protects my derriere
From the hardness of the floor.

But times in life have found me
And given me a chance
To breath life into myself
And dance another dance.
You were the salsa
So sensual, close and whole
I let my feet find a beat
And danced into your soul.
And then I saw your shyness
Staring back at me
So unexpected but touching
How could this possibily be?
I laughed and smiled so shyly
So unsure how to enjoy
The feeling that you gave me
This man who was a boy.

So I took your hand in mine
With a message in my palm
It said don't let go, lets dance together
And we can come to no harm.
But my dance was a journey
With no specific end in sight
I could have danced with you all day
And all throughout the night.
But your dance was the destination
For which you had a such a hedonistic need
That you spun me round in a whirlwind
Like a race that depended on speed.
I never got dizzy
I never quite felt sick
I didn't have the chance
It was all over so quick.

And there I suddenly was
Feeling naked and exposed
I thought we were alone
But the door had never closed.
Someone had been watching
Everything you'd done
She'd come along to claim her prize
And tell me that she'd won.
She was, she said, your waltz
A different dance to me
A dance you knew through and through
'Different steps' said she.
You said 'She is the dance I know
But are not inspired to explore'
This is all that you said to me
Before I crashed onto the floor.
I've never felt a hurt
So big and loud before
The freight train running through my head
Needed track to run some more.
A hurt so bright and fast
So volatile and unsure
It filled the room
It filled the walls
The world entirely and more.
It wasn't just my heart
It was my dream and my soul too
That dove for the pit of my stomach
And all because of you.
I thought you danced the salsa
But you didn't dance at all
You played with my emotions
And saw a catastrophic fall.

The irony of what happened
The thing you didnt know
Was that she too had 'danced' a dance
To a tune you didnt know.
She'd 'danced' that dance for years
Right in front of your eyes
But you never watched the steps
Just listened to her scripted cries.
Many years on I saw you
I wasn't sure what to say
But you said it all for me
When you teased me about that day.
'I saw her move' I said
'For hours of three or more
She doesnt even dance
She just walks across the floor.
She told me she waltzes
But I never saw her move
So I lowered my head to the floor
And focused on her shoes.
She never danced a step
Despite her claims that she did
It wasn't a dance at all
It wasn't even a jig.'
You looked at me so angry
But not because I was wrong
Because you should have known yourself
That one cannot walk to a song.
Only those that feel the music
And breath the actual beat
Will let their bodies follow
The dancing of their feet.