Before the rain: A dance at the playground
Spin
Inside the Creation Stories of Dancing Mother
Before the rain: A dance at the playground
by Mother Mother Binahkaye Joy
The playground is one of my least favorite places to dance. But the munchkins love it, and I promised them some time there before the rains were set to pour.
The pre-storm breeze was an unexpected delight. As I watched my children play I started to sway with the breeze, initially from a seated place, but then I got up to feel the space a bit more.
Luminous Glory was finding her newly walking freedom quite nicely, and the ground was clean enough for us to move around barefoot.
My big-big boys were playing soccer with some kids they had just met, and the little-big munchkins were happily running in and out of the splash park, to the swings, to the slide, and beyond. Everyone was in their joy, so I decided to find mine.
It’s rare that I have my body to myself. I have been attached to or in close, physical proximity to one or more children nearly continuously for 11 years now.
My movements are a reflection of this intimacy. My bones, my center of gravity, my muscles, my breathing, everything is in tandem with my children.
When I dance I am feeling multiple frequencies: who’s hungry, who’s tired, who’s got to get to the bathroom, who’s fighting, who needs to be carried, nursed, soothed, celebrated.
Every movement is a witness of my labors, and the multitude of intelligences they hold.
