Dancing the Small Dance

The poem below resonated with me and brought to mind the book and wonderful photos in It's a Lot Like Dancing: An Aikido Journey by Terry Dobson, Riki Moss and Jan Watson.

Dancing the Small Dance
I want to dance,
On the edge between the new and unfamiliar,
And the old and familiar,
Reality.
Dancing, moving, feeling.

The music and the movements come from everywhere.
And a lovely way of knowing
Is to identify with
The dance,
Rather than identifying with
The dance critic's interpretation of
The dance.

It might be an awkward, poorly choreographed dance,
But it is MY dance nonetheless,
And dancing MY dance,
Gives me a deep sense of serenity, surrender, and grace.

I am not alone in this dance.
My movements are enfolded in the movements of all life,
All sadness,
All triumph,
All joy.

cb Hop, poet