I sometimes think
the carnival in my heart
is quieter now, gone
those heady, heated days
of Mardi Gras and samba,
of my body buzzing
to the sternum and the lips.
I sometimes feel
our rhythms now are softer,
not strident, not vibrant,
like drifting water colours.
And then I know,
when your eyes light fire,
and you smile without smiling,
just for me, it happens…
we share the moment,
our dance, again, teenagers
once more, in a school gym,
moving, shy, on a scuffed floor,
hearts beating, syncopated -
still stepping out together.
Amanda Brookfield
If you have any thoughts about these
poems, Amanda
Brookfield would like to hear them
