As I stood there silently waiting,

I already began to feel their eyes on me,

As if a blinking light sat upon my head,

Blinking, flashing, blaring.

 

With every glance and every whisper,

The pressure grew and grew,

And the walls were closing in,

Slowly, silently, deadly.

 

Fear and doubt raced through my bones,

And my heartbeat quickened

As I heard my name being called,

Softly, loudly, noisily.

 

I stood for a few more moments

As all eyes turned on me once again,

A few of them crinkling at the corners,

Mocking, laughing, taunting.

 

Those ridiculing eyes had made me angry,

So my feet began to move,

As if they gained a sense of purpose,

Trudging, strolling, striding.

 

They couldn’t control me anymore,

So I took a deep breath,

And I took the stage,

Smiling, laughing, singing.