Ruth Smith
Spotlight on Powder Blue
Picked from a waltzing crowd,
couple nine moves in a beam of light
with scarcely a wafer between
his tall black form and hers.
He has her lightly clasped,
sharing an arm’s length with her;
flat of the hand decorous
against the ripple of her back.
She pivots and floats wide
in her buoyant skirt; feet
in perfect sync with his as, hip to hip,
they range across the maple floor.
When they sway in a chassé turn
or flow with long, smooth steps
like strolling panthers,
she bends to his shifting weight.
He swings her round and she leans
like a spinnaker, holding the pose
with a backward slant
and a graceful turn of her head.
As they feather the floor, his legs
twinkle between her thighs
and lose themselves
in the pleated folds of her dress.
Then they’re apart. Still touching hands
they take their final bow,
wresting a smile to mask
the hot panting of their breath.
Page(s) 10
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