From Fiddlehead to Fern

Shy, curled-up, shrinking, minimizing 

Please don’t notice

Pangolin arms clutching The Complete Works 

High school is hard for the meek

Everyone looking 

For their future

For their fun

A Romeo to their Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare

October 27th: Auditions 

A thick cloud of upperclassmen

Experienced actors

Confident strutters

And me

A week later I’m Serving Man II

A year later 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Return Of The Auditions

People I know

My strutting friends

My cloud family

My stage and my home

Opening up

Growing out

The nerves are the same

The cast list: 

Scanning… hoping… 

Oberon… 

Hermia… 

Helena… 

Puck: Me

The lead

The star

Puck

The troublemaker

The favorite

Puck

The comedy

The drama

Me

Onstage I flourish

I bend, I twist, I cascade around

The spotlights creating shadows of me

“Up and down, up and down, I will lead them up and down.”

A mischievous grin

Paired with a twirl

A caricature

An ever changing personality

Another me 

My heart alight with joy

Full and bright

Different and confident and strong

I stop and unfurl my arms

From fiddlehead to fern

Acting is my water

Shakespeare is my sunshine

“Arise, fair sun… “