Walking
a path of blooms…
the shishi odoshi
clack, clack, clacking - and I still
stepping

(First published in SP Quill)

Odette and Odile

Pure white
slippers adorn
her pointing toes, arms stretch
longingly upward, reaching for
heaven.

I watch
each move she makes,
my hands not as graceful
although my heart, like hers, never
falters.

In one
breath, she becomes
a seductress, flashing
blindness to his eyes; all he sees,
the want.

The dance
convinces him
there is no other love
but hers, yet in another's heart
she dwells.

White swan
upon the lake . . .
feathered maid forever
destined to a life of graceful
gliding.