Little dancer***

First lesson nerves,
Into the big wide world,
You shuffle into class,
As a hand on your shoulder,
Nudges a little from behind.
Mummies little dancer,
Sweet innocence and kind -
Dance shoes a little lose;
Your feet too small, to fit them tight.
Cotton cardigan - smooth against your skin,
Wrapped twice around your tummy
- So tiny and slim,
Pink little leotard, or plain bottle green,
Satin to the touch - it clings thin.
Not a care in the world, that girl,
Still understandably content within.
Huge open room,
Cold slippery floor
Grey, dull. Shiny - where dancers feet have walked.
You stare then look up wards,
With your baby blue eyes,
And step further into the big wide world,
Now too late to look behind.
Good toes, naughty toes,
Pointed little feet,
So very gentle and feminine
- Perfect to a tee.
Bend and stretch
Curtsy - foot must go behind!
Not as good as everyone else,
The first tears to stream from you eyes,
(A lesson for the world out there)
Little lady - don't you cry,
You're pretty, fine, such a beautiful girl,
Teacher towered above - reminds you just to try.
Arms graceful through the air,
First position, second, third,
Tumble, fall, to the ground
This time picking yourself up - you learn.
Cardigan a bit too short now
Way above your wrists
Still mummies little dancer.
Happened too quickly to look behind...
You tiptoed into the big wide world,
Looking forward not behind.
Tap, ballet, acro, modern,
Lyrical and jazz,
-But more grown up now you think.

First show nerves,
The stage seems so hollow up there.
You get a kind of empty feeling inside -
Hollow.
So very hollow and empty inside.
Alone,
So alone,
They never taught you just how hard it would be to try.
They never told that young girl how hard to dance to succeed.
They never prepared her for the biggest competition, which is life.
So into the big wide world she tiptoed,
With huge blue eyes open wide...