A Poem for the Actor

LET THE FOOTLIGHTS BURN

I stand here in the shadows

My props set in their place

With the mask of some strange character

Imprinted upon my face

I grab hold of the curtain

My veil, my shroud, my friend

It opens to shed some light on me

And enfolds me in the end

The footlights seem to hypnotize

Daring me to enter

And the spotlight from the back of house

Drags me down the stage and center

Somewhere, where the darkness

Meets the magic of the light

Stirs the shadow of a character

Who'll possess me for the night

The "me" I wake with everyday

Will vanish in thin air

And suddenly I realize

That I'm no longer there

The world has changed around me

Electricity fills the soul

And the character that I've become

Is the person in control

And what's that flicker of a sound

That permeates my brain?

Can it be that god Applause

Has blessed my soul again?

It reaches out and holds me

With its empty-promise hug

Only coaxing me to ask for more

It's an ego-driving drug.

We can all be what we're not

Step right up and take your turn

Be the things you've always wanted

And let the footlights burn.