Arched and bent,
Bruised and beaten,
They are busted and feel broken;
They are tired, but never defeated.

Off of the floor,
Into the air,
Pressed down,
they are pointed,
While the beats,
They are counted.

Land on one,
Bend on two,
A thousand pairs of eyes,
All of them on you.

Like a flash of lightning
In the sky,
Legs reach out:
It is their attempt to fly.

And up again,
One last time,
Legs want to scream,
They want to cry.

But an overwhelming applause
Mutes their whining:
Heart still pounding,
Audience all rising.

And they carry themselves
Off of the stage,
Into a black abyss
Where the music played.

And there arrive
The tears of joy
As the makeup streams down
Like on the painted face of a porcelain toy.