Pause or Poise
“Pause or Poise” was inspired by ballerina Bekah Burke’s TikTok video where she balanced en pointe on a wine bottle. In that moment, it sparked my interpretation of a deeper story. The wine bottles symbolize an alcoholic father who tried to destroy his daughter’s passion for ballet, haunted by the tragedy of losing his wife, her mother, during a performance. The bruises, ripped dresses and cracked shoes reflect his attempts to break her but she refuses to surrender. Balancing en pointe atop a fragile bottle, she embodies resilience. One wrong move could shatter everything yet she chooses confidence and elegance. In the end the music box awakens her mother’s memory and she dances a pas de deux with her spirit, transforming pain into beauty. Like Odette she rises graceful, defiant and unbroken.
Author’s Description: Jayrine Valdellon, 19, from the Philippines, often writes poems when something captures her attention or stirs her emotions. Writing has always been her way of finding peace, even when her thoughts become complicated. It feels as if the voices in her head flow through her and reach her fingertips, guiding her to write. Poetry allows her to make sense of her feelings and transform them into something meaningful.
An ember-burnt strand held tight in chignon,
eyes swirling pirouettes to the melody of song.
Velvet lips pressed, unspoken beneath crimson drapes,
Nose lifted in relevé above her silent scrapes.
Arms form a sweep of luminous arc,
Elegance flowing through fingertips, touching the spark.
Marbled pearl skin of purple and gold,
dressed in her tutu, worn and growing old.
Legs stretched like flamingos taking flight,
With the stance of a cranes, above they unite.
Satin-wrapped feet en pointe atop an empty bottle,
Carrying weight as light as swan’s feather.
With every step, she pauses in poise,
The melodies fouetté like doves in rejoice.
As stillness shifts, the glass sways,
The balance of brokenness takes the pain away.
A single cracked bottle, beneath her waits,
Yet she rises defying all cruel fates.
In a daring jeté, she arcs in the air,
Her spirit lifting, graceful beyond compare.
During her leap, a music box appeared,
The scenery of music twirled, memory steered.
Ruined tutu dress turned into soft feathers,
Her cinder-tipped hair crowned with crystal tiara flutters.