The Skillful Dancer

O lean young Siamese girl,
how skillfully and ingeniously you dance
upon the tightrope of my warrior spirit,
upon the edge of the Damascene sword
of my soul!


Your figure is more delicate
than a butterfly’s wing
and more svelte
than the bodies of Chinese acrobats,
more beautiful than a doe
and more supple than the squirrels
which jump from tree to tree,
In Lumpini Park!


O dearest of the tightrope walkers
who dance round my heart,
I will make you my wife
and the mistress of my garden of joy!

FROM THE COLLECTION OF POEMS "L'ORCHIDEE ROYALE"

PUBLISHED BY ENCRES VIVES, FRANCE.

SEPTEMBER 2011