by Shirley J. Brewer
—Dancer Loses Foot in Boston Marathon Bombings
from a newspaper headline
Smoke and glass,
hell sounds, her foot gone—
the amputation of a dream.
Just one day since
her toes painted
a promising pink.
She had asked for glitter;
severed sparkles
now rouged with blood.
They rush her off
without the limb that bore her
through every waltz, rumba, tango.
No time for farewells,
only a tourniquet
speaks for the ordinary
strapless-sandal-moments, a burst
of music—her footsteps light
on the safe and steady ballroom floor.
Shirley J. Brewer ( Baltimore , MD ) is a poet, educator, and workshop facilitator. Publication credits: The Cortland Review, Innisfree Poetry Journal, Pearl, Comstock Review, Loch Raven Review, Passager, and other journals. Her poetry books include A Little Breast Music, 2008, Passager Books and After Words, 2013, Apprentice House/Loyola University. M.A. Creative Writing/Publishing Arts, University of Baltimore.