Dancing Through the Flames

by Rebecca Bardelli

  it dances

  in my soul

  - poetry

  PERFECTLY DESIGNED

  I see a picture in my mind

  Perfectly designed

  But as the wind blows as it must,

  Chalk turns to dust

  With flames, hope crashes

  And the charcoal turns to ashes

  So I change my standards to meet reality

  Lost in perfection affects my ability to see

  Instead of creating pictures, I live day by day

  Knowing each is flawless in its own way

  SILK RIBBONS

  I imagine silk ribbons covering my skin

  And when my mind begins to spin

  They spiral and they glide

  To calm me outside and inside

  Their array of colors intertwine

  To create kaleidoscopic designs

  My body – they kiss and caress

  Relieving me of any stress

  Their soft touch is everywhere I go

  Assuring that I dance in a steady flow

  VISIONS

  Sometimes I need to escape –

  yet there is nowhere to go,

  so I close my eyes

  to see visions dancing to and fro.

  SANGUINE EXPANSE

  Peeking through the somber clouds

  was a sanguine, clementine expanse –

  reminding me that things aren't always

  what they seem to be at first glance.

  CRY

  Some say

  it is a sign of weakness –

  but it is okay to cry.

  It cleanses your insides

  and rids you of impurities

  that are dulling your shine.

  I'M FREE

  As I place poignant memories

  into the waves,

  the salt from my tears

  evanesce into the sea.

  I'm free,

  I'm free,

  I'm free.

  TRANQUILITY

  Search for tranquility.

  When she appears,

  take her on a date

  and let her caress your soul.

  Hold on to that feeling she gave you

  and contain it deep within.

  When you need more, unwrap her.

  Her presence is a present

  that keeps giving – over and over again.

  I RIDE THE WAVES

  A RONDELET

  I ride the waves

  My goal to calm my mind's cyclone

  I ride the waves

  My mind has the power to save

  With gentle thoughts I may get blown

  But I will not get overthrown

  I ride the waves

  PARADISE

  Incense

  dispersing the

  sweet scent of coconut –

  dancing to

  Hawaiian music

  in a hula skirt –

  a lei adorning

  my neck –

  taking me to

  a tropical paradise

  in my mind.

  SUNSETS

  With each

  sunset,

  I choose

  to forget the negativity

  from the day.

  It is gone,

  so I watch it

  fade away.

  CHAPTER 5: AFTER THE FLAMES

  ANYTHING

  I dance through the flames

  and linger in cool breezes –

  for I never know which of these

  life will choose to bring –

  so each day I step into the unknown

  ready to embrace anything.

  ONE

  I'm taking

  one dance,

  one move,

  one breath,

  one song,

  one syllable

  at a time.

  BEAUTIFULLY INSANE

  My mind is a hot mess

  that can be beautifully insane.

  You can take it or leave it,

  but I claim the artistry

  as mine just the same.

  FINDING BALANCE

  I danced with myself,

  interlacing the essence of my being

  made of heavy metal

  with the one made of

  romance and rose petals.

  As I twirled,

  I felt a magnetizing swirl

  of platinum and rose gold

  throughout my soul

  joining together to make me whole.

  TRANSFORMED

  Crystalline rain poured down on me.

  I danced in it –

  let it set me free.

  I felt it cleanse me

  and extinguish lingering flames.

  And as I looked up to see the clouds change form,

  I realized that I too have transformed.

  Yes – I am still me at the core,

  but I have evolved

  from where I once was before.

  DIGGING DEEPER

  I see the accomplishments

  I haven't yet made –

  and it's disheartening.

  But then I look at

  what I could have become

  yet didn't

  and all that I have overcome.

  I dig deeper

  into my heart and soul

  and am truly content

  with my current outcome.

  I DANCE WITH MYSELF

  I dance with myself in the mirror

  until I love what I see –

  both my reflection

  and my personality.

  It doesn't matter what others see.

  All that matters is what I see in me.

  BALLERINA IN A MUSIC BOX

  I'm a ballerina in a music box

  dancing to my own dance and song –

  being true to myself

  because that truly makes me strong.

  I'm not trying to be in sync with others

  or mimic the way they move –

  I need only dance at my speed –

  for I have nothing to prove.

  NOT ANYMORE

  I use to stare in the mirror

  and put each piece of myself

  under a microscope –

  finding each and every flaw –

  never being content with what I saw.

  I didn't do it to others,

  and I've learned not to do it to me.

  I no longer put myself through that hell –

  I've kissed that self-torture farewell.

  SEE BEAUTY

  These scars –

  they are opals kissing my skin.

  My freckles –

  they are pieces of the glowing sun.

  My tears –

  I've turned them into diamonds.

  Others may see weaknesses or flaws,

  but I choose to create and see beauty.

  GHOST ORCHID

  Although it was difficult,

  I flourished and bloomed

  into a ghost orchid.

  And once I did,

  there was no stopping me.

  I am very much alive,

  and I will continue to thrive.

  WITH NATURE

  I fill my sight with nature

  because it helps me heal.

  The rain drowns my sorrows.

  Seeds refresh my hope for tomorrow.

  Flourishing rose gardens

  remind me that I must grow.

  When the wind does blow,

  it shows me how to let go.

  And I remember to dwell on pure thoughts

  when I see white blankets of snow.

  I spend my time with nature

  because I learn a great deal.

  RECYCLED WISHES

  With each days new dawn,

  I'm gathering all the wishes I had once gave up on.

  I'm breathing new life into them

  now that I truly understand a dre
am.

  So many things I had wanted

  were disguised as radiant moonbeams.

  But in reality – they were burned by the sun,

  and if I would have received them

  I would have slowly come undone –

  the lights inside of me burning out one by one.

  Now that I truly understand a dream,

  my wishes aren't as far out of reach

  as they once seemed.

  COLLECTING GIFTS

  I'm collecting the things I gained

  from all the times I took a chance –

  the times that instead of watching from the sidelines,

  I got up and danced.

  I didn't always receive the things that I set out to attain,

  but still – there are many things that I gained.

  I gained confidence in myself and my abilities,

  and I learned how to let go of hostilities.

  I gained patience and perseverance.

  I learned how to step away from myself

  and see things from a distance.

  I gained a better understanding of me,

  and I learned how to stick things out rather than flee.

  And I will continue to take chances and dance –

  collecting the gifts I may not see at first glance.

  NEW SOUL COLORS

  I dipped the

  joyful yellow sun

  within my soul

  into the melancholy blue

  and wove together

  my own unique hues –

  new soul colors

  are now bursting through.

  ALICE BLUE

  I didn't believe it

  when they said

  time heals all wounds,

  but it turns out

  that it is true.

  My thoughts were once

  a dark – stormy blue,

  but they have

  slowly faded

  to a pastel hue –

  so soft a shade

  that the sun

  now shines through.

  - My thoughts now swim in Alice blue.

  A FIGHT WORTH FIGHTING

  I have a unicorn soul –

  holding my heart

  safe in my loving hands

  so I may live a life

  that is magical

  and bursting in colors bright.

  I hold on to life tight –

  for it is a fight

  worth fighting.

  MADE OF MAGIC

  As I breathe opal oxygen

  into my lungs,

  an array of iridescent colors

  enter my blood.

  So now when my wounds bleed

  as they will,

  all will know

  I've turned bad into good

  and see the magic

  that I am made of.

  SLOW DANCING

  I'm slow dancing

  so I don't miss a beat.

  I'm slow dancing with myself,

  slow dancing through life,

  slow dancing with everything I see,

  and with every single person

  who is part of this dance with me.

  As I dance in slow motion,

  each step need not be perfect –

  but it must hold purpose.

  RESILIENT AND FLEXIBLE

  I have learned to be

  both resilient and flexible –

  playing the part

  of both the black swan and the white –

  dancing to both

  melancholy and joyful melodies.

  Each dance holds beauty –

  each dance holds grace,

  and being able to withstand both

  keeps me sane.

  WORTHY

  I buy her red and white roses

  and her favorite chocolates too.

  I give her candlelight baths

  and adorn her nails with glossy polish.

  I take her to enjoy the things she likes to do,

  and I always tell her she is stunning.

  - For she is worthy, and she is me.

  CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY

  I want an extraordinary life.

  I didn't escape the fire in vain.

  I want the nostalgic taste of candy canes.

  I want to dance

  with snow scented candles and their flames.

  I want to be kissed under mistletoe.

  I want Christmas every day.

  I CRAVED MORE

  I loved staring at the sunset –

  its beautiful colors bleeding together

  in the night sky.

  But I craved more.

  I wanted to jump into it

  and swallow the air –

  to be part of the art.

  - I wanted more from life, so I took it.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Rebecca has been writing poetry since she was a teenager, and her love for reading and writing poetry continue to this day. She writes poetry for many reasons. She writes to create. She writes to inspire. She writes to heal.

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