dance card

for two hours

neckline wool itch
and rasp of corduroy
turned into cotton lace
and water swish of silk

her white Disney wristwatch
became a white rose bracelet
with blue sheen ribbons…baby’s breath…
her scuffed sandals had turned to satin slippers
and gold heart earrings glittered…pinched

dance partners…familiar playmates
edged a transformed great room
they’d decorated blue winter white
now…candle flicker for the fox trot
lime sherbet punch in cut glass cups

she suppressed laughter
at the dance card etiquette…
first to last dance pairings…
for she craved massed mayhem
of sled races and snow battles

yet she searched for his name
and found it twice…
then he held her in his arms…
and it was not child’s play

Bonnie Marshall
Photo: Betsey Dunn’s dance card from Miss Hall’s School