ACT (ELUL 2)

Remember standing in the wings
chest full of butterflies

listening for the cue
to step forward and speak?

You could look at scuffed wood
and remember the masking tape

that told you where to stand.
And when you said your piece

you knew the response
before the words rang out.

Today there is no such luxury.
Improvise your lines.

Work with whatever emotions
well up behind your eyes.

Comedy may veer to tragedy
and back without warning.

The curtain never goes down.
The reviewer is always watching.

Good news: I hear she's inclined
toward mercy if you keep it real.

I'm participating again this year in #blogElul, an internet-wide carnival of themed posts aimed at waking the heart and soul before the Days of Awe. (Organized by Ima Bima.) You can read last year's and this year's #blogElul posts via the Elul tag; last year's posts are also available, lightly revised, in the print chapbook Elul Reflections.