the stage

the lights hit first

hot and white and blinding

a wall of brightness straight into my eyes

so strong i can’t see their faces

just outlines

shadows beyond the edge of the stage

and somehow

that makes it easier

like the world ends at the footlights

and nothing exists beyond my next breath

my heart is loud

but my voice is louder

and when it leaves me

it doesn’t feel like sound

it feels like flight

like something blooming from the center of my chest

the stage holds me

solid and steady

beneath my feet

and yet i feel like i’m floating

like the air knows my name

and every word i speak becomes more than mine

i move

i speak

i sing

i become someone more honest than i am in the hallways

someone brighter

not hidden

not small

and when it’s over

when the lights go down

i still feel it

like the echo of music after it stops

a kind of joy

that doesn’t need applause to be real