Encore
By Laurie Woodward, Coastal Dunes
Lighting upon a liquid stage
Briefly for an audience of one
Two fallen birch leaves
Pirouette in a whirlpool,
Mirrored mimes in
Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet,
Carmen, and the Firebird.
Those who had once been
Skyriders reflecting and
Filtering light
Fell to Earth
Reluctant parasailers
Only to battle ensuing currents
In a watery waltz
All escape blocked by
Cries of encore.
One ochre lover
Makes his way upstream
While his partner is left
Swirling in the sun
Lost and alone
These former cloud dancers
Surrender to the stream
And are gone.
To where they are destined
Is unknown but I’d like
To imagine
That when the wind
Choreographs them
One final time
They embrace
As they slowly sink
Forever from the sky.
Along with her other credits, author, educator, and peace consultant
Laurie Woodward collaborated on the award-winning anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Read about her projects on www.artania.net.