a prayer & poem by Lisa Alpine

There is no shadow to dance with at night under the dark of a new moon.

Untethered to the spongy grass and red cinder path, my movements unrecorded.

Not daguerreotyped onto the expectant ground.

Not even a whisper of a shadow plays within the fluid movements of my dance.

Invisible choreography woven from dreams and desires.

On this dark night, I dance in dialog with a spell, wanting to weave the world whole again.

Light and dark elevated 

beyond suffering, stupidity, fear, greed.

Elbows lift, arms outstretch, fingers reach, torso twists, eyes call to the sapphire purity beyond the darkness.

Beauty and goodness revive.

Dancing in pure shadow—with no witness.

Please.

Elevate us. 

This poem is included in the epilogue of my book Dance Life: Movin’ & Groovin’ Around the Globe