Were my parents trying to
keep up with the Joneses
Or did I really want to be a ballerina?
There I was, primary school age
In miniature tutu
Contorting myself into impossible poses
Secondary school brought some sense
Saw me tear off the tutu
And don a leotard for tap
A dance not needing quite so much grace
But still my feet could never
Keep up with the lightening fast beats.
Studying in Scotland I discovered ceilidhs -
Wearing jeans and a jumper is just fine
- elegance matters less than enthusiasm
But too much of the latter
Leads sometimes to bruising
And a body the worse for wear
A couple of years in Malawi
Wrapping round my hips a chitenje
That always fell down
When I tried to keep up
With the traditional dancing
That my body is just not built for!
Now you'll find me on Saturdays
Down in the darkness of goth club
Dressed in glamorous black
My body lost in the music -
Finally I know how to dance!
Poetry Thursday theme - The Body
National Poetry Day theme - Identity
6 comments:
Malawi sounds interesting - but the goth dancing is probably easier! Our National Poetry Day was in July but it tends to pass without being noticed much.
I enjoyed your journey to find your own dance, it's always so much better when we dance to our own music than someone elses...thanks ..M
i love this idea of transformation through dance... that the body is not merely a surface one can modify - but it is the transformation, all its limbs, movements, and poses.
Neat idea. I can relate to a lot of that, only for me the order was preschool ballet, then goth clubs, then ceilidhs. It's great that you finally found a form you could sink into.
HI there everyone, thanks for visiting and commenting.
Desert Rat - its funny that you went from goth clubs to ceilidhs, while I did the other way round. I still like the occasional ceilidh but my partner doesn't....
madd - definitely best to dance to your own music....
Michelle - dance as transformation, exactly
Catherine - I loved the traditional dancing in Malawi, but no, couldn't move like that. Thankfully I worked in an all girls school and could dance at their discos too, and they played some more danceable (for me) music too.
I loved the walk through history! Substitute music with the dance and it becomes mine - from childhood to maturity!
UL
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