the lights dim.
the chatter turns to silence.
i'm revealed.
i draw a sharp breath
and begin to move my feet.
the pulse takes my body.
time slows as i breathe in.
sounds play with my body,
turning my torso round.
my heart eats the oxygen i take in.
my feet crush the ground
with every step.
my soul clearly on the floor.
i throw my hands to the sky.
my own inertia whips me around.
i kick invisible stars before me.
contorting myself to the beat.
my own body tosses me in the air.
i collapse into the ground.
the sounds in me fade.
the pulse dies.
i rise.
light floods in.
silence corrupted by hands.
hands being slammed into each other
over and over.
i look at the sign above the door:
"dance recital tonight"
i smile then
Exhale