Save the Last Dance

Tonight was the night The rhythms in my chest beating with fright Scouts were here To pick the dancers that would attend their Ballet Company next year As rumors went For me they were here sent By giving it my all Under the spotlight, they're deans they'd call A scholarship was only half the dream It was the honor that my heart would beam The red draped cloth flew ajar my feet began to follow my heart I danced my Last Dance Scenes flew by like a 100 mph wind The grand finale to my audience's feet would it send Prancing around on my angelic feet I was soon to fall to my feat Unsure how I fell All I know is it wouldn't heal Therapists, specialists, and too many docs Pondered over the strange bruises 'neath my socks Two months later the oncologists caught The disease that broke my steadfast heart It was in the ankle and too late found Amputation was my best chance at not being put in the ground I cried not of pain But of my future lost in cancerous rain The night before the surgery in the cold halls With my hospital gown and all I danced my Last Dance As if I hadn't suffered enough, The battle wasn't over I'd have to be tough It was what we had all dread The aggressive disease had spread Needles, chemo, and radiation St. Jude doctors sought to save my life with dedication I was ...hairless ...footless ...spiritless. The little girl in the bed next to mine, had no bone marrow match and little time Here I was, healthier by the day And her little body was on the fray Weeks flew by and her companionship I adored Though her body weakened, her spirit soared. I told her about dancing, the passion of my heart she listened intently as the nurses filled out her chart She asked me a favor, one I wasn't sure I could keep To teach her to dance on her two precious feet With hesitation, I almost said “I can't” but then I realized then I hadn't danced my Last Dance My own metal leg resented the graceful steps Though Her tiny agile feet on the floor they swept She loved our daily lesson time and learned quickly A ballerina she had become and one so pretty It broke my heart to see her body become so weak But the smile on her face and joy in her heart were far from meek So I guess you could see why I wasn't ready the day She made me promise to never put my dancing shoes away That night she would not lay down She danced all night through barely making a sound She thought I was asleep But I could see under the curtain prancing her little feet The nurses could see it as well But they didn't have the heart to tell The next day her sheets were washed Every soul that walked by our tear stained window was hushed The nurse came in to check on me I suppose my broken heart wasn't hard to see She told me “ How kind it was to give that little girl's happiness a chance” “Atleast, she had one Last Dance to dance” I smiled in reply and calmly said “no” That little girl was dancing on Heaven's throne Dancing is in the heart, not on our feet I just hope that she saves the Last Dance for me