Alive
An energy circle:
hands clasped tight, heavily made-up eyes squeezed shut.
Silence except for the distant buzz of audience members filing in
and the click-clack of shifting character heels.
Then we break apart
big smiles, inadvisable cheers.
“Break a leg!” is neither a threat nor an ominous warning
instead, it’s a prayer, a comforting mantra.
Where bright lights meet red lips and styrofoam sets
When I can’t explain, except to say that I am finally alive
When we start off a half-step sharp from the nerves and pull it off anyway,
that is what I live for.