Through His Eyes~ By Lauren Martin

The dancers floated across the stage
the men hoisting the ballerinas over their head
it was so beautiful
all he wanted to do was be on that stage

But when he asked his father to dance
he was laughed at
No son of mine is going to run around in a tutu

So he was signed up for football
forced to put on pads and get knocked around
he could barely catch the ball
the other boys laughed and pointed at him
he left in tears

secretly in his room
he danced to his heart’s content
ballet, jazz, contemporary
he loved them all

But he got caught
his father went into a rage
screaming at him to be a man
and men don’t dance

But when he turned 18
he was free
he did every style of dance he could find
his natural talent allowing him to soar

Before his first performance his heart was pounding
how could he ever get through this?
But as he stepped out on stage he saw him
his father sitting in the front row
smiling at his son
finally proud of who he was.


Author Bio:
Lauren is a marketing writer at K12, America's largest provider of online education for grades K-12. She enjoys shedding light on women's rights, sexism, and mental illness.