Retired

Throw me high, higher still Let me breathe again, Let me gain height, I will Live, smile, laugh, be filled With heartbeats steady and wild Let me move, relevé lent (1) Let me stand Hold my hand As if I were a child Be my supporting leg (2) Be my heart when it fails Beat it for me, it's too frail Throw me high, I beg Pirouette me like a sail Dancing in the wind Retire (3) when I retire Be me, be my ire Be my eyes when I am blind Be my anger while I am kind Sit with me, this music Kneel by me, don't mourn For I felt airborne For one second, one tick Alive, in your arms reborn *** September 30, 2017 Copyright © Darren White (1) Relevé lent is a classical ballet term meaning “slow raising.” It is usually used in the Russian Schools of ballet. It describes when a dancer starts in one of the basic ballet positions of the feet with straight legs, then lifts one leg off the floor while raising up to relevé on the supporting leg. (2) Supporting leg is a classical ballet term that describes a dancer’s leg that is supporting their whole body while the other leg is free to do another step. A dancer’s supporting leg is often called a “standing leg.” (3) Retire is the position in which a ballet dancer raises their thigh with the knee bent so that the pointed foot is placed either in front, behind or to the side of the supporting foot.