Nature
Irradiations: XX
From Irradiations: Sand and Spray (1915)
I dance:
I exist in motion:
A wind-shaken flower spilling my drops in the sunlight.
I feel the muscles bending, relaxing beneath me;
I direct the rippling sweep of the lines of my body;
Its impact crashes through the thin walls of the atmosphere,
I dance.
About me whirls
The sombre hall, the gaudy stage, the harsh glare of the footlights,
And in the brains of thousands watching
Little flames leap quivering to the music of my effort.
I have danced:
I have expressed my soul
In unbroken rhythm,
Sorrow, and flame.
I am tired: I would be extinguished beneath your beating hands.
Cite this poem
MLA
Fletcher, John Gould. “Irradiations: XX.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/fletcher/24/.
Chicago
Fletcher, John Gould. “Irradiations: XX.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/fletcher/24/.
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