a perfect pirouette

one day you wake and blink:
the world’s ultramarine
and then it’s peachy pink
and then it’s minty green
you blink again and see
a pair of shoes in cream
unheard of but it seems
it’s not at all a dream
it’s not at all a page
from an adventure book
you find yourself on stage
you can’t believe you look
like someone who can turn
a perfect pirouette
impossible to learn
for those like you - and yet
just look at you - the lights
the music, the applause
the heavy curtain slides
you take a step and pause
the world is peachy pink
and then it’s minty green
and then you wake and blink:
it’s after all a dream
it’s after all a page
from an adventure book
your bedroom is your stage
you can’t believe you look
like someone who can scare
the kid who lives next door
so ancient it’s unfair
so little left in store
the bedside clock, the pills
the years that line your face
the loneliness that fills
your tiny quiet space
the world around you fades
it chills you to the core
and then you hear a faint
encore

Edgar Degas - Dancers, Pink and Green, 1890