Dancer

• Shanay Wright, Grade 8
• Poetry
• 2011

My heart is beating rapidly
As I take to centre stage.
The song that will make my dreams come true is about to start to play.
I'm terrified and scared and I can't move at all,
It feels like I'm constricted in a cage and that I'm going to fall.
The music starts to play its song,
As it flows and vibrates through my ears,
I hope that I can pull this off otherwise I will live my fears.
I catch the steely stares of the judges as they sit professionally in their chairs.
All I have to do is dance, try my best, and take a chance.
My heart finds the rhythm as I twirl around the floor,
My arms and legs are moving in synchronism as I push myself to do more.
The dress I wear glistens as I shake, spin and shimmer,
My feet slide along the hardness of the stage as the light gradually becomes dimmer,
The emotion I am feeling is intense and incredible,
My dress that floats effortlessly is intricate and desirable.
My fear has disappeared and a smile appears instead,
The music slows to a quiet melody as I experience pulsing in my head.
All dreams must come to an end as I have noticed right now,
As I curtsey to the crowd knowing I've done myself proud.
I ascend towards the side wing and my heart begins to sing,
My feet have a beat of their own, how my confidence has grown.
My dream as I have mentioned a million times before is not to be a competitor, but be the best dancer of them all.