Dance When You’re Perfectly Free
Nothing re-inspires the soul quite like a poem… here’s a little end-of-year poetic inspiration to dance, dance, dance.
Illustrations by Liz Brent
~~
I AM REALLY JUST A TAMBOURINE
By Hafiz
Good
Poetry
Makes the universe admit a
Secret:
“I am
Really just a tambourine,
Grab hold,
Play me
Against your warm
Thigh.”
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
By Lucille Clifton
my grandsons
spinning in their joy
universe keep them turning turning
black blurs against the window
of the world
for they are beautiful
and there is trouble coming
round and round and round
DANCE IN YOUR BLOOD
By Rumi
Dance, when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandages off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.
Translated by Coleman Barks