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

moonriseee

PA

14 years old

More by moonriseee

  • Turning A Page

    Verse 1
    The sun sets slow on this fading day,
    I see your faces, but they feel far away.
    Laughter lingers in the hollow air,
    But something’s shifting like you’re not really there.

  • the hand

    there is a hand squeezing my heart

    tight slow like it knows every part of me

    holding on to the pieces i’m leaving behind

    the empty rooms the silent voices the half spoken goodbyes

    it does not let go

  • Dress

    sometimes the dress feels like a soft breath

    a quiet hope wrapped in fabric

    that touches my skin like a secret i’m afraid to speak aloud

    it’s the way light moves when i twirl

    the way i feel seen without saying a word