Black Ballerina

This poem really touched me. So many times I have felt this way.

She's spinning out of control
and it's all I can do not to hold her as she
flies into a thousand shards 
of wine-stained glass 
and black spilled ink.

love this!!

An eye catching title matching an equally remarkable verse, written from a protectors (a parent, a sib or a close friend) point of view, very touching. The poetess has projected the anguish of a concerned parent/sib/close friend in a 3rd person, so poignantly.

She's spinning out of control
and it's all I can do not to hold her as she
flies into a thousand shards
of wine-stained glass
and black spilled ink.

^ I like the way that the state of the mind of the subject is captured in this opening stanza using the analogy of a "wine glass" spinning out of control, about to break up in a "thousand shards" (=pieces), and spill black ink all over (=breakdown?).

Her mood's darker than before the dawn,
and she's too fragile,
and she's too hard - like translucent glass
while she beats against purple fires
storming at her back.

^ The darkness and instability of distraught emotions is compared very well here to the fragility and hardness of translucent glass, a dual metaphor. The color "purple" seems to depict the inner fires raging out of control, to the pre-dawn colors of the sky - another nice simile here to give the reader that feel of the explosive sentiments within.

I wonder as my hands reach to her heart
if she will come back to earth this time,
or if I will have to go hunting in
shadowlands
to bring her home again.

^ A touching end stanza, portraying a protector's anguish, as he/she watches her disintegrate in front of his/her eyes, with a deep concern. Who will not be troubled, by seeing their loved one trying to commit suicide, by drowning herself in "shadowlands" (=a bar/dark places?). A painfully dark verse that moves the inner core of the reader, in heartfelt sympathy.

(Judging comment 2-5-12)

Hey you, a very well written poem, from a poet who obviously understands the craft. Mature, succinct and full of depth. As to the full meaning? well I will leave to the poet, but we can all take something different from this poem which helps make it so magical.

I thought of someone being observed by someone else.I had both of them in my mind with the intro,"she is spinning" the whole ballet show scenario. I love how this writer gives the darkness of the piece away in the title by adding the "Black" to it.. the tricky part is that you only realize that when you're done reading.
she creates creepy images in the mind, with the dark tone she uses to keep the poem going..

I think what I was most fond of in this write was how the writer changes from the ballerina to herself in the last stanza she does it with "I wonder",which served purpose because it gives you the feeling that the person is full of doubt yet full of hope as she ends with "bring her home again".. I guess maybe its the word "home" that added all the magic to this piece, it must be. that emotion at the end.. that word, think about it.. in your head.. when you hear it ..like a whisper "home" is just does something to you.

silvershoes put on her poetic shoes, and she danced beautifully.

"She's spinning out of control
and it's all I can do not to hold her as she
flies into a thousand shards
of wine-stained glass
and black spilled ink."
^ Have you ever tried drawing with ecoline (that's the french term, I don't know what it's called in English) and Indian ink? They're my favourite materials, and if you use them, oh, you'd feel exactly what you've been writing here. Free-flowing, yet harsh sometimes. There's much more movement allowable with these materials, yet they can be flashing as well. I know you've just bluntly stated the action here, spinning around, in the first line, but somehow it's intriguing. Perhaps it's the "out of control" that makes it much more dynamic, than, if you had just said "she's spinning" (or twirling, whatever the trend is nowadays). And somehow, the ink, the wine, they're romantic images, which makes the overall image almost elegant.
Though I must say that the second line is a bit awkwardly worded. It seems almost intentional, and I enjoyed the perhaps insecure approach to it. But the vagueness is a bit bugging, since there's no indication what this "it's" is about.

"and she's too fragile,
and she's too hard - like translucent glass"
^ See! Exactly what I was saying. Ecoline and Indian ink. Translucent glass is such an obvious, bold image, though. Sometimes there's power in boldness. That's the case here. I guess I truly like the rawness of this piece, although everything is neatly worded and structured. Somehow it feels honest. You're truly trying to reach out and help this person out of her turmoil.

"while she beats against purple fires
storming at her back."
^ Very harsh image, she's truly breaking, and perhaps exploding (though that word would've probably had an humorous effect if used here). Again, dynamic, I'm not going to say vivid, because what does vividness mean when compared to movement?
Somehow I am reminded of fists here. Abuse. I guess many people would consider this the more "dramatic" kind of poetry, an abstract type of poetry. But the beauty of this all is, although you're making use of unrealistic images, it's real to the reader's heart. It's because you know how to evoke emotion, not by bluntly telling us, but by bluntly showing us. And hitting us with it.

There's nothing much to say about your ending stanza, because I'd be repeating everything again. I guess the only thing I'd change is this line:
"or if I will have to go hunting in
shadowlands"
^ It doesn't read right to me. I had considered moving "in" to the next line, so it would read "in shadowlands", but I'm not so sure about that either. I see the effect of cutting off this sentence, though, as if there's this quiver of sadness in your voice at that point, and you had to pause for a moment.

What I also like about this poem is your effective use of minimal punctuation. Your poem breathes as it is shaped. And it's certainly well-deserving of its WIN-tag. Well done!