she stood at the dance
edging the wall
hating them all
watching the rare common girls
flipping their hair
pretending not to notice them stare
those boys standing near
who were playing for fear
games of choice and derision
like paper, rock, scissor, decision.
© Jilly’s All Rights Reserved
Join us at dVerse Poet’s Pub for a bit of Quadrille word play. It rocks!
Jilly's 
Those terrible games of decision… both being wallflower and being to shy to ask. Well captured.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! A lot of dynamics in a scene like that.
LikeLike
and many lives have turned on a game of rock paper scissors. I think you capture the fear of the dance floor very well here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Sarah!
LikeLike
The rhyme gives this a nice sound. I liked the phrase “rare common girls”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s the line I liked the most, too. Thank you, Frank!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Both humorous & sad, let’s hear it for dramedy ! I used to love to dance, free form, no pressure to learn steps.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps I spend too much time with teen-agers…
LikeLike
I knew I could count on you to bring in “Rock, Paper, Scissor!” 🙂 What a vivid description of the dance scene!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I now have a solid week to get the drama of teens washed from my head.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😆
LikeLike
“edging the wall” How you capture it! This is a poem that causes one to hold their breath as they read; the tension so fills the… gymnasium? dance hall? YMCA? Well done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Charley! Will swing by and read your poem tomorrow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh this brought back memories of awkwardness, flashbacks of my wallflower days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know! Right?
LikeLike
That’s a lot of anxiety on both sides….love the tension of making the decision ~
LikeLiked by 1 person
The pain of being a shy wallflower…you captured the feeling.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
Sounds like puberty,…great images.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
Well painted scene – always struck in quadrilles how poets can convey so much in so few words – like this beauty – all that teen angst comes flooding back – (I think I chose the “run” option :-))
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is something about the limit on word count that forces us to hit the nail squarely, don’t you think? I like that requirement, even when I curse it. (I chose the ‘avoid’ option!)
LikeLike
You’ve taken me back to when I was 14! Funny times 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
who were playing for fear
games of choice and derision
The inexperienced boys have a lot to learn in their early encounters with the bashful innocent girls. They will both learn, they learn fast in such things! That we have seen Jilly, and you got it right!
Hank
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hank, your comments are always insightful. Appreciate that.
LikeLike
Great use of the prompt, Jilly!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You set the scene so well an awkward moment growing up. I always enjoy dancing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I swear I didn’t peek before writing mine! We even got the same order — paper, rock, (and) scissors — which I chose for its trochaic flow. Like you said, great minds. 🙂 Nice rhyming and fun narrative, Jilly, which also reminds me of my debut poem in dVerse.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh? Which poem was that?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here it is. 🙂
https://pescetarianpoet.wordpress.com/2017/02/28/debutante/
LikeLike
There are echoes of Carrie in your poem, Jill. How many things could depend on paper, rock, scissor? Scary thought, given the current climate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does, indeed, have a Carrie feel. (Never read / saw it, but quite familiar).
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really like this–the way you capture the scene and those often horrid teenage years, but also the rhyme and rhythm of the words.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Merril. I like the constraints of the form; it makes us work for every word.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I like this form, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person