Ballet is a Contact Sport
Austin Allen James
Slip on a pirouette and level a dagger in the breeze—
a glissé void of verve. She tastes of spice,
wicked, relish, and an opera in full bloom. Salt
scents the fouetté, scans the nose, twirls the throat. Saint
Petersburg is an octave slipped beneath an opiate's
skirt—pockets of adagio glitter reveal her
intention. Silk enthusiasm shifts around an
allegro that secures soft solace with an arabesque—
a storm draped across the horizon. The theatre lights graze
the jugular and travel the pulse of Moscow’s
drunken Svetlana. Gradual horror soaked in fig brandy
labeled “ballerina” marks the stairway through
hemispheres. There, you will find rooms sprawled
with moonlight that speak of Russians and venom served raw.
a glissé void of verve. She tastes of spice,
wicked, relish, and an opera in full bloom. Salt
scents the fouetté, scans the nose, twirls the throat. Saint
Petersburg is an octave slipped beneath an opiate's
skirt—pockets of adagio glitter reveal her
intention. Silk enthusiasm shifts around an
allegro that secures soft solace with an arabesque—
a storm draped across the horizon. The theatre lights graze
the jugular and travel the pulse of Moscow’s
drunken Svetlana. Gradual horror soaked in fig brandy
labeled “ballerina” marks the stairway through
hemispheres. There, you will find rooms sprawled
with moonlight that speak of Russians and venom served raw.
Austin Allen James is a Visiting Professor at Texas Southern University in Houston, TX. He has taught at TSU since the Fall of 2012. In 2016, Austin and colleagues formed a committee to create a “Professional Writing” concentration, which includes five creative writing classes. Austin is also a visual artist/sculptor. Austin's undergrad degree is from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, and his Master of Fine Arts in Poetics is from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. His MBA is from the University of Dallas in Irving, TX. Austin actively writes poetry and submits poems weekly to journals. He is working on a book of collected poems, which is expected to publish in early 2026.