(Written on 2022-12-04)

Easy to misunderstand her screams
While sweat drips and breaths hitch.
Or her menacing eye for perfection
Despite her knowing perfection is an
impossibility.

Those in the audience, those on stage.
Do not see she who is in the darkness of
The curtains, away from the spotlight.
They do not see her truthful smile.
They do not see her eyes gleaming with pride.

For those bringing her art to life
From the smallest with umbrellas and
Bee customs, tiptoeing across the stage.
To the senior with a big tutu and
pointe shoes, balancing on her toes.

The children of dance needn’t see
As they feel her presence and
Know the mother of dance
As their second mother.