“Ballet students, Tembisa, South Africa”
A photo of two 5-year-old ballet students posing outside a dance academy in Tembisa, South Africa [photographer unknown]
Parched ground beneath
they bow into shared silence
learning each other
Heels pressed together
Cracked pavement holding shadow
still, they hold their shape
Delicate tutus
Hands clasping, feet turning out
Excellence starts here
Afterword: I came across this photo of these two young ballerinas. The contrast—their softness against concrete, their care in the pose—pulled me in, asking to be translated into another form: poetry.
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