I walked into a cold and lonely room

It reeked of middle school drama and over-used axe spray

My spine shivered from the fear of impending doom

That came along with gym class and the auditorium stage

You entered unexpectedly, in the form of a strange woman at home

Somehow, in an icy basement with an extinguished fireplace

I laced up my shoes with a heart on steroids, poisoned by the fear of the unknown

Tracy’s golden curls bounced as arms were raised and imaginary lines on the floor were traced

Music turned into magic with a total of 8 counts per measure

I had always prided myself in my soccer cleats and torn up jeans,

I acted too tough and pretended to be mean

But the second the metal on my heels clicked against the linoleum floor of my kitchen

My soul became lace and leather and endless song

 

Somehow, I was unstoppable

Everything that was once unknowable suddenly made sense,

And from that moment on, I was never on the fence,

I knew what I wanted to do with my life

Before this miraculous day, I was darkness and storm-clouds, a pink bedroom on the brink of suicide

However, I never would have expected my knight in shining armor

To come forth in the form of ballet buns and tights

For my savior taught me that I am my own hero,

Paired only with a pair of shoes and a tempo

A beat that speaks to my soul and puts her foot on the gas,

100 mph, we are dreams that move fast

Inexplicable worlds of impossible goals

I walked into the room, it was my heart that she stole

And she wasn’t a person,

She was more so an act

A presentation of passion and love that moves fast

While it seemed so rehearsed in performance, though it was choreographed

The lesson she taught could not have been seen

Not in her smile or her green eyes when they gleamed

It was predestined movements, and allowing the soul to speak

She taught me to smile and find joy in being alone

I found warmth under blankets, or rather my shoes

Though the path was so painful,

It was nothing new

My passion, she drove me, to a lovely studio

With CD’s and records and the warm stage lights glow

She led me through mountains and carried me home

Without her solid softness, I’d have been so alone

 

But my heart’s now surrounded

By music and bows

An unthought of savior, right under my nose

Her name is Tracy, but I call her ballet,

She sometimes takes form in jazz shoes, and she asks me to stay

I effortlessly do, I listen to her request

For on my long, endless journey

It’s her love that will help me best

Though it sounds crazy,

And to others, taboo

It’s the stage lights that shape me

And give me a future that I may create, too.