I walked into the small room with
metallic mirrors covering an entire wall.
My little body dressed in a creamy
pink









leotard











& white tights
topped off with tube socks over my tights
you can tell my mother dressed me

My 5 year old heart was PoUnDiNg
It sounded as if a THOUNDERSTORM was in my chest
I couldn’t wait to start dance class
I could tell, then and there that in my soul I was born to dance

My mom seemed just as thrilled as I was
She yanked her camera from her purse,
with a quick swift motion
and got a snapshot of me grinning from ear to ear
A missing front tooth showed all the youth that was bubbling inside me
As my mom left, I shed a single t









e









a









r





almost as if I was afraid she would forget about me

I wiped away the wetness that stained my checks
put on my satin, pink ballet slippers,
stepped onto the hard wooden floor,
and plie'd into a new beginning