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Sunday, February 13, 2011

The First Dance

Longing
I long for a lover—
to touch my lips with a passion
presently and noticeably absent;
to dance with me without reason in forbidden spaces,
to lift and carry me to extraordinary places—
not necessarily in that order.
© 2006 Camille Gray – from Alive but Unconscious: Poems

I am a disciple of movement; a dancer in another life. Not of the freestyle, largely obscene dances of late, but a dancer of the classics; ballet, ballroom and even the occasional kicking up of barn dust at a square dance.
Everything and everyone in my life must be in engaged in purposeful motion, moving freely about the cabin that is the universe. From the independent movement of my hips as I walk and when I am at “play”, to the sway of my skirt in the warm whisper of a summer breeze, there is a stirring beckoning my cooperation with life’s cadence.
Dancing is a meaningful way in which to experience the progression of time. A few minutes dedicated to a delicate waltz, a vigorous samba or tempestuous tango is a rhythmic journey to another world. It is temporal freedom at its best.
While the solo dance is beauty personified, the most poignant dances occur between two synergetic souls. When one partner yields, allowing the other to lead, the frame of the partnership creates a breathtaking unity of form.
These alliances are not created arbitrarily. There are crafted in the splendor of similarity, familiarity and submission. They are bodies that are perfectly fitted—on and off the stage. This dance is in my near future. It is just over the horizon, where time and fate have made their introduction; where attraction will gratefully and finally have its respite.
Our first dance will be a tango; the dance that further confirms our partnership. It is the most erotic of the dances on my dance card. It requires me to submit to the rhythm and position of my partner. It compels the synchronizing of my heartbeat, the rise and fall of my chest and the tempo of my stride to his influence. It is a journey across the continuum of time and space that I await with sensual enthusiasm.
Here’s to you, Partner.
Dancing About the Obvious
I dance around my desires,
shuffling;
 keeping time other than my own.
My body craves a graceful waltz;
a sultry tango—
any vertical expression of horizontal intention.
© 2010 Camille Gray – from “Pillow Talk: Poems”, 2010