Dancing
Nothing has dulled my feel for earth,
its stern gravity-pull,
its cushion of dark.
Neighbours in the flat below
hear my feet tapping
while the rest of the house sleeps.
When I dance in daylight, boards creak:
samba, tango, waltz.
I have acres and acres to dance through,
recharging as I go. Sometimes I find a partner
in a shopping-mall or an uncut field,
my party-face sparking till I'm giddy.
I whirl through tiredness changing the beat,
everything spinning – I'm flying at last.
My eyes glisten, past bitterness –
I dance in my sleep.
Whole streets fly by me,
whole streets have started dancing.
* Katherine Gallagher is a widely-acclaimed poet with seven books published as well as four chapbooks. Born in Australia, Gallagher has lived and worked in London since 1979 This poem appears in Carnival Edge, New and Selected Poems (Arc 2010)
