by Patrick Trombly Copyright ©2026 The arch triumphal, raised above your head, pointe flexed and strapped to idol-worshipped calf – stiff-necked and flat, you stare up at that red. She executes adeptly her piaffe (she deftly steps). Her dress, brushing your chin, whiffs perfume from beneath black silken sheen. Startling stabs from her stiletto pin alert you to the turn in her routine: the piercing spear that punctures your conceit. You flinch - so swiftly she brings you