shoes that walk the wire
on show nights my face is slick with pan-stick
eyes rimmed with thick black lines
cheek bones raw with rhinestones
mouth bright as an open wound
I wear a sequinned tutu and soft leather pumps
to grip the sleeping snake I must tame
show no fear no doubt
smile for the screaming crowd
I learn to stand on my big sister’s shoulders
my suede soles grip them tight
as she pads across the wire like a jaguar
all concentration and stealth
he says anyone can walk in pumps
so I learn to walk en pointe
in ballet shoes tipped in thick chalk dust
tiny steps at a time stiff as a marionette
he says I must walk in stilettos
you’re big enough now
red sparkly ones like Dorothy’s in the Wizard of Oz
at the end smile click my heels
grand in red top hat and tails
black moustache taut as a highwire
white teeth sharp as a blade
my father the ringmaster
cracks the whip harder and faster
Annest Gwilym is the editor of Nine Muses Poetry. Her work has been published quite widely, both online and in print. She was the Featured Poet in Caught in the Net, November 2019.
this is great.
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Glad you liked it, Jack!
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I like the repetition. it rolls well off the tongue 🙂
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Thank you, Thomas!
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