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
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