Pointe Shoe Haiku

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Young girl live for dance
Teacher say “now pointe shoe time”
Finally dream come true
 
Torture instrument
Blame Marie Taglioni
Romantic Era
 
Pink, peach, all hand-made
Burlap, glue, many layers
Bring lots of money
 
Freed, Gaynor Minden
Feet on fire, toes squished and numb
Soon blisters will form
 
Shoe hard like pink rock
Bang against wall to break in
Crunch in door hinge too
 
Satin toe too slick
Hack off fabric and darn tip
Now dancer happy
 
Ribbons pink and loose
Needle and thread dancer’s friend
Sew many ribbons
 
Pirouettes en pointe
Scary business for new girls
Practice at barre, first
 
Shoe not last too long
From one night to twenty weeks
Cash or credit, please?
 
Callus, bunion, corns
Tendinitis special treat
No pain-free life here
 
Autumn days approach
Pointe shoes in shop whisper name
Soon comes Nutcracker

Now shoes stay in drawer
Souvenir of ballet days
Dance blogging less pain
 
Reader ask “too late for me?”
Never too old for ballet
Dance forever, friend

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PS: Ever wonder how pointe shoes are made? Or how bad Classical Girl’s feet could look after a performance? https://www.theclassicalgirl.com/why-i-dont-miss-dancing-en-pointe/

 

6 thoughts on “Pointe Shoe Haiku”

  1. I love them all, but especially the last one. As a late starter, I’m glad that it’s never too old for ballet! Hopefully one day I will experience the pointe shoe feeling firsthand.

    Reply
    • >Hopefully one day I will experience the pointe shoe feeling firsthand.
      And when you do, Kate, come back over here and give this a re-read and see how often you wince/laugh and agree!

      Reply
  2. This is charming! (But I am now seeing that it was published 9 years ago! Better late to the party than never, I suppose!)

    Reply
    • So glad you liked it, Rona! Yeah, I love that there’s no expiration date to my essays. It helps that dance and classical music have been around for, oh, several hundred hears!

      Reply

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