When I visit Degas’ dancer,
she does not dance,
but stands behind glass,
bronze sculpture,
as though she were dead.
I know she is not dead.
Her eyes tell me otherwise
and the ribbon in her hair
is green as May.
I know that at night,
when the museum hall empties
and the lights are dimmed,
a spotlight opens on her.
The glass shatters out like a star,
and she dances,
sways her body,
stretches her arms,
pirouettes and arabesques,
and all the paintings in the room,
Van Gogh and Monet,
watch in silent, pious awe.
Jennifer LeBlanc, Massachusetts, USA
4 poetry lovers:
Jennifer LeBlanc is currently pursuing a B.A. in English from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts. Her book, Coloring the Shadows (lulu.com, 2009), won the Mary C. Bryan Women’s Studies Award for 2009, and Cervena Barva Press published her chapbook, Unrestrained (2009).
I love this! I saw the little lady last summer and thought she looked too serene. Now I know she was just waiting for evening.
Enjoyed the images and the bringing to life.
That is stunning and beautiful and heartbreaking too.
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