Waiting

Waiting

For the dancer who loved her,

she heard a different beat.

One that made her heart

bang against her chest walls.

He said, “I am taken with you.”

And she said to him, “Wait.”

And the dancer offered her

ribbons and bows taken

from his voyages,

and she paid for them

with her time.

He said, “I want more of your time.”

And she said to him, “Wait.”

She followed the beat

with faraway lovers and dancers,

seeking to soften the blows to her chest.

And the dancer returned with hope

only to ask, “Sleepless nights with you?”

And she said to him, “Wait.”

And the dancer traveled forever

through distance and time

and chased hope.

And she, after a long while

became lost in her search

and chased the wind.