When the Lights Lift

darkness darkness darkness

Muffled noise, Shifting feet

darkness darkness darkness

The lights lift; I see the crowd in front of me

Act I

I speak my lines and my fellow thespians emerge

but not before hard-earned laughter escapes the seats

with a smile in my eyes, I saunter stage left

then cajole a quick smile before I retreat

blackout

Act II

This time, the lights come on with a song

a melody, a dance, a quick number

I sing, we sing, the harmonies are pure gold

This is how, your hearts we manage to plunder

blackout

Act III

There's darkness even with the brightly burning spotlights

I'm playing at evil, Oh! how I creep along the curtains

Wait - are those real tears? The audience is speechless then

blackout

Applause! I bow. Applause! I've never felt this certain

In myself, in my life, in my abilities

The risk to stand in front of them all, to be

Someone else and encompass emotion as if it is my own

And to try, for a moment, to make those unknown people feel

For me, for the character, for this hollow, windowless building

The moment that success is reached - 

That feeling of triumph is all I need

And each time, each night, the show is complete

I yearn for the next moment the stage and I shall meet