The Ballerina [FAST]

Now, at twenty-six, she knows the truth: ballerinas are not fragile.

Some nights, lying awake with ice packs wrapped around her knees, she wonders: If I couldn't dance, would I still know how to exist? The Ballerina

But watch closer.

She dances because stillness is worse.

They are the most disciplined creatures on earth. They smile while their arches bleed. They pirouette through grief, through heartbreak, through the quiet terror of a body that one day will say no more . Every night, they step onstage and pretend they are not terrified of the floor. Now, at twenty-six, she knows the truth: ballerinas

She doesn't have an answer.

And for that—for just that—she will give everything. she wonders: If I couldn't dance