living
by T. Jenese Thompson
Prima ballerina, Superstar
Mariinsky Theatre holds her waist,
not her breath, with grace
while thorn at toe and applause
seize stage
Russian Ballet Russes circa 1909
bouleversement and fantaisie, she took Paris,
held her stance, not her inhale,
with choreographic heritage and heart
heavy in flight
St. Petersburg, the grandeur of Imperial,
between breath and form she is
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, holding
her torso, not her exhale,
mastering her own art
18 iF Magazine |April 2019