The Talent Show

How did I begin to "glow?"

It started with a very dismal low...

I was in the deep throes

Of middle school, acne and braces in tow

I was to perform in an annual talent show.

Up on the stage, mic in hand

I was afraid my performance would be canned.

My peers had already given me a brand

I was a nerd, a geek, a loose strand.

My insecurities were widely spanned.

Here was my risk, my free throw

I gave...a comedic solo.

There were no laughs, no gusto

The audience was silent, I got vertigo.

I lost consciousness, look out below!

So in a way, my performance was grand

Instead of comedy, I had an awesome crash land.

My fainting spell was unplanned,

But I had chosen on the stage to stand

And my anxiety began to disband.

You see, embarrassment no one can forgo.

Through humiliation, I got the memo:

Living life at a tiptoe

Only helps someone burrow

Into a life that might plateau.

So get a little flustered, don’t fear being mock.

Because the only thing those experiences will concoct

Is the benefit of having walked the walk.

And trust me, you will be in shock

When you get to the life stage you find you can rock.