A deep breath, followed by
the tapping of a toe on the hardwood floor.
The lights are deceitful,
trying to blind her to
the audience of hundreds
watching, waiting.
She sees only
the bright white lights and her feet,
clad in her two oldest friends,
the slippers she wears
and has always worn.
Her flamboyant costume
masks her insecurity,
depicting nothing but
sheer confidence.
Her mouth is dry, her hands shaking,
as she begins to
second-guess herself.
And then it comes.
The first deafening chords of
song overpowering
her anxious heart's beating.
She lifts her right arm,
bends her left leg,
and she's off.
A complicated frenzy of
twists, turns, plies, and leaps
followed perfectly by
the pulse of the thundering music.
All reality suspends.
The song occasionally pauses,
threatening silence,
but never does she skip a beat.
She spins and bends and jumps,
dancing in the moment.
When the music finally ends,
the applause jars her from
her trance.
She takes her bow and walks off stage,
as if
she hadn't just entered an alternate universe,
and she hadn't just stolen
every soul in the crowd.