And You Dance

You are of water,
tiny droplets of light.
The motion in you,
a property of liquid.

How do you make your body
glide in such a luminous way
and move in perfect time
to the rhythm of the music,

flowing through us
like water making its way
through even the most
twisted landscapes?

The way you dance is an
elixir, a stunning mixture
of liquid and light,
inviting the hours to slip by.

I want to dance
to the point of liquidity
and have the music brim
from my fingertips, too.

---

Lauren Carlisle, Age 18
All Saints’ Episcopal School
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Teacher: Greg Sellers (2002 Teacher of the Year)