Rainboots

I prefer rainboots to ballet slippers

because they are so much better for dancing in the rain.

Each puddle is a spotlight for me

to twirl and leap in the center of.

The twinkle of the street in the storm

is the gaze of my audience,

watching my every move.

The raindrops splattering against the earth

provide a whimsical melody for my steps.

This is a Private Performance

for the Empty Sidewalks of the World

for the Soggy Leaves

for the Muddy Footprints Pressed into the Grass.

I am displaying myself

for the lonely elements

to tell them that I love them,

that even though a thunderstorm drives away professionals,

I’ll still be here in all my mediocrity.

I’ll still happily give you

all my off-centered pirouettes

my malformed pliés

every off-beat step and move I’m capable of.

You can have my all

if you want it.

You see,

I am one of the lonely elements of the world

whose rainy days drive her into solitude

whose dampness and mud-puddles and overcast skies

leave her doing a solo act all the time.

I am always poised centerstage

facing an empty auditorium

eyes locked, pleading, on the doors

begging them to swing open and let the audience file in.

My ears are desperately listening always

for the footsteps of another performer

entering from the wings to begin a duet.

So Dripping Trees, Muddy Ditch Water, Heavy Stormclouds,

I will dance for you.

I will wear my raincoat like a tutu

call my blue jeans tights

and give you the performance of a lifetime.

I will perform for you

like you are a Broadway audience

like I am a prima ballerina

like I am not just a girl

in polka-dot rainboots

puddle-hopping alone in a storm.