• one free verse poem
• one haiku
____________________________________
•
she need not be frightened
she knows the moves
sees the steps
clearly in her mind
she knows the stride
the position of her body
just before elevation
she understands the speed
the run up
the lead foot
the plant angle
the knee bend
the thrust
she has done this
literally thousands of repetitions
no need for trepidation
she knows the energy of the moment
of the crowd
as they anticipate
as she anticipates
the lift off
the rise
the glorious weightlessness
the thrill of flying
the feel of returning to earth
to her toes
her feet
how to offset the momentum
to snap to a graceful stop
come to point
straight and strong
arms raised and extended
the applause
that exhilaration
she knows this all
to her bones
she can do this
in her sleep
she has this mastered
she is a master dancer
but
that flash of doubt
and again
she fails
there is now one leap
she fears she cannot master
the leap
back through time
to her youth
to her glory
her invincibility
still
she leaps
she will always
leap
• • •
•
wife in her mud shoes
clatter in the potting shed
soon will come new life
• • •
poem and haiku by: rob kistner © 2010