What I love is to sing.
What I love is to dance.
These lifelong loves
remain my secret –
since early childhood
when joyously
I displayed them
expressed them,
let my full heart overflow
with the soaring, glorious tones,
the swaying, swirling moves.
Oh, how I set them free!
No-one else could hear or see –
not as I did, not as I felt.
‘You have no tune,
you have no beat.’
I hid my love,
I smothered my joy.
Now no-one hears
or sees me.
Only, when I’m alone,
I turn the music loud:
I sing with all my lungs,
I dance with my whole body.
The rest of the time,
my throat and feet
are sensibly still and silent.
(Secretly, though, they’re dreaming.)
(Tone-deaf and no sense of rhythm! But poetry has taught me how to sing and dance on the page.)
Written for Sanaa's Prompt Nights: Dancing is like dreaming with your feet, and (simultaneously) for Fireblossom Friday: Secret Love at 'imaginary garden with real toads'.
Get up offa that thing! (as James Brown would say!)
ReplyDeleteLovely Rosemary and you certainly do know how to sing and dance on the page...
ReplyDeleteAh, I bet that solitary singing and dancing influences the music in your poems.
ReplyDeleteLove your singing history poem, Rosemary. I used to sing in a choir and in a men's chorus until a Methodist choir director said he'd rather not in his church choir.
ReplyDelete..
I think we are in a very large club indeed best suited to solo performances. Now that you have come out I can as well! My music master at school placed me at the back of the class because I was tone deaf...or so he said!
ReplyDelete"I hid my love, / I smothered my joy." thank God they found outlet on the pages...so nicely penned...
ReplyDeleteGosh Rosemary :D this is such a tender and evocative write. I love the fact that you fused two prompts and that too so beautifully. Especially adore the reference to "let my full heart overflow with the soaring, glorious tones, the swaying, swirling moves. Oh, how I set them free!" Beautifully penned. Thank you so much for participating at Prompt Nights and for your constant love and support :D :D
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Sanaa
A wonderful poem!
ReplyDeleteSing and dance loud and proud! Maybe one of the benefits of dancing in the sitting room is that we can truly let go for a little without judgement - salut to those secret, wonderful loves!
ReplyDeleteHa. Mine too! k.
ReplyDeleteWhile technical skills are great, there's something to be said for the one who expresses wholehearted joy in their dancing, even if their skills aren't going to get them on So You Think You Can Dance or any of the other talent shows.
ReplyDeleteI like the dancing more than the song... Maybe that's why poetry is so fun. Love a secret love like this.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see this speaker dance from afar... That kind of feeling towards song and dance has to offer a glorious view... How terrible to have snuffed... How wonderful that an aspect of it is shared through poetry. ♥
ReplyDeleteI love how you wrap this whole thing up...that dream of dancing and singing at all times.
ReplyDeleteI think we would all make a beautiful choir...or chorus line of imperfection :D XXX
ReplyDeleteNo, no, no! Let it out, girl!!! Don't hide that.
ReplyDeleteYour words sing loud and clear. :-)
ReplyDelete