Grade 12
PoetryWriting
I remember the first time I danced with her
The lights were bright and hot
And I was so much quieter and desperate
Sitting at the table, holding the best of myself in my palms
Everything was telling me to stay at that table
My shoulders were heavy
I was sweating buckets, my hair sticking to my neck
the air was overwhelming
And the air was so electric
Nobody there knew me
I wanted to spill out on the floor
And show everybody who I am
When I’m not around you,
I wanted to dance and fly on that floor
The way I don’t at home,
The way I do when my hands are open
And so I advanced
And took her hand
And she was surprised, and pleasant
And she wasn’t mean
She was soft, and so different
I wasn’t expected to like her
Unlike him, calling me hot,
She called me pretty
And she circled me
And all the bad days in the past blended into one, insignificant
And my hands held hers
And she took the best parts of myself
When she let go
My palms were empty
My shoulders were light
My soul was full
Even when I left the dance floor
Even when I went home that day
Even when she took me
I can’t recall it all negatively
How could dancing so freely
Be wrong?
Kenya G., 17, 826LA
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