I love The Dancer, Percy. The rhyme scheme sounds great, very consistent, and it flows really nicely. Besides that, you've worked it so that the most impactful line falls last in each alternating stanza (before the "chorus," if you will), to great effect.

This one is kind of personal, as poetry often is, but especially so, in this case. I'm kind of embarrassed to post something like this, but I feel it's one of my better pieces, so what the hey...


Keys


Someone once gave me
A black and white row
Of doorways to melody
Chairs to the soul
The keys, with no map

Nothing to choose to ignore

I used it, back then
In spite of my wanting
Something much greater
The things you can't hold
The chords you can't strike
With a thousand small fingers

For her, all I wish was a thing he could give
With a pure, unselfish, and thoughtful motive
That protects much more than a name

And obliges connections that aren't just in vein


I still use the gift
That was handed to me
On the day after Christmas
A black and white summons
To court
Where his honor won't cast any judgements
Won't throw down a stone or a gem from his mind
Where he's seated on high
More a child, than I

Where I'm held in contempt
I'm mired in silence
Silence, still being
The one thing he orders
For, he gave me the gift to make beautiful music
Then, died on the first beat my heart was infused with

I still use his gift
In spite of now wanting
To show him the evils I've deeded his name
To return every moment
Of lonely self-doubt
The gift of regret
And of longing and shame

To use his gift against him


I no longer want
To hold on to this thing

But, it's part of me, now

His music is mine


And, I only know this



From what's been left behind




From a time I'm too young to remember

"What I learned from the future is Sharpie markers will replace facial hair and all men are impotent except Sean Connery. The future looks bright." - T.P. on Zardoz