Tonight's Poet Corner: Destiny Dazzles

Destiny Dazzles
by Belinda Roddie

Destiny dazzles on October nights,
the marimba sending sparks to meet
the flash of her sequins, dancing up
and down her midriff, where the sash
begins like a flower and closes
at the hip like a heavy, swollen,
satisfied bud.

She bends her body backwards,
revealing the lumpy but gorgeous
flesh beneath her half-opened tunic.
Beads dangle across her love handles
as her thighs open, displaying the blue
lights from behind her, bathing her,
like a sauna would, in a hot,
misty oceanic glow.

The audience crawls for her dance, creeps
up their skirts and pant legs for her.
Her boyfriend bites his lower lip
from where he stands in the corner,
trying not to be seen by his boss,
who sits in the front row, whistling,
and waving an embarrassed Franklin
in front of Destiny's bare knees.

The weird part about that is that
this isn't a strip club, and his disrespect
is subdued quickly as mesmerized
eyes briefly glower at the lewd
behavior, because Destiny is nothing
but natural beauty, smiling with plush,
satin lips as she stretches, yawns,
and winks to the crowd, the curls
on her head bouncing and catching

the incandescent glow
of her boyfriend's eyes,
and she hikes the river of sequins
high above her pelvis,
swirls, and melts into the percussive
fireworks of the stage.