Sally Eslinger Poet Free verse

Degas Dancers

** Degas Dancers **

Painted or drawn, 
Degas arrested time.
Truly
His dancers
— even those standing,
      watching the others —
Are caught in motion,
In poised postures such
That we think we can feel them
Breathing, alerting
Their limbs
To prepare for performance;
(On stage or in the studio) with
That tension,that anticipation, or
Waiting primed in stage wings
— The blue dancers,
The green ballerinas —
Always observing,
Always envisioning
What is to come,
Ever mindful
Of the goals:
To become the music,
Leaving self for the movements,
Hoping to realize that epitome:
To paint their bodies with grace
Into such danced, linked, perfectly
Sweeping lines, curves, and angles that
The music itself 
Will gasp…
The music, sounds fulfilled
Into flowing sights
As the dancers live 
The choreographed 
Combinations.

Then curtsies are
Done and flowers thrown.
In the endings, dancers become
Themselves again, like 
Degas drew them: sitting
Slumped, tired, side by side on benches
With their tutus flared and
Colorful; their pointe
Shoes off with ribbons strewn;
The music fading from thought…
But, the ballet remains,
The very meaning of
Their lives, in all
Dreams and imaginings,
Blessed to them 
First to last
Every motion
Becoming a
Joy in
Being.

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(c) Art & poem sally young eslinger
2/22/22

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Eve Roper February 23, 2022 at 8:11 AM I like the line, "To become the music" that is the way it should be. Nicely done, Sally.

Bill Baker February 22, 2022 at 4:14 PM You must be a dancer of ballet yourself, Sally. Your poem so thoroughly describes the waiting, the visioning, the become one with the music, the performance and the slow release of the tiredness after a performance. Thank you, for the exquisite descriptions, represented in the painting. I enjoyed the poem as if I were there the whole time, watching the performance and going backstage to visit with the dancers. Thank you for reading my POTD back in Jan 2022 and commenting. Bill

Sotto Poet February 22, 2022 at 1:33 PM Hello, Sally, and welcome. I'd want to express my gratitude for taking the time to read and comment on my poem. It means a great deal to me. You wrote a fantastic free verse poem; your metaphors and diction are beautiful, and it was a pleasure to read. Let's stay in touch and debate things in this amazing environment.