By Hannah Read • Edward Little High School

Her itchy tulle skirt scratches the pink tights

That cover her long legs as she prances,

Across the stage in a violent dance.

She leaps, spins, and bounds with all of her might

But beneath the make-up her face grows hot.

Sweat pools in her leotard as she flows,

Pirouetting in an elaborate show.

She tries to remember all she was taught,

Afraid of falling, afraid to be wrong.

As the sweet smell of rosin fills her nose,

She struggles to turn and hold the next pose

Soon her heart pounds with the beat of the song.

The audience holds their breath, watching her fly.

She just holds in the pain and tries not to cry.