Lights Explode

A black silence

no words spoken

red velvet carpets and golden chandeliers

hidden

Beneath black-brushed wood

that used to be walnut

and behind curtains

that have always been dark,

the marley stage is clear:

no scuffs from slides or toe-blocks

no scratches from trebles and drums

We are poised and still, our shallow breaths

ripple the curtains

no one dares to move

one click

of a heel

or tap of a toe

will break

the silence

will reveal where

we are all hidden

amongst the shadows

We sense the silver-blue screens

raised and ready

the rows of people

starting to question

starting to fidget

We are ready

We explode

Lights dance

Red

Blue

Green

White

All at once

dots and splotches of color

Spotlights run

around the stage

trying to catch us

We spin and cut

weaving in and out

of lines, then split

all in shadowed silhouettes

And now they see

shimmering diamonds

of pink and green and silver

sleek sleeves with satin swirls

and the spinning skirts

We are dancing

the quick heartbeat of hard-shoes

the lights keep flashing

‘till we are now all visible, all

our colors shining

in the golden light