Day 26 - 4/26/2023

 Day 26 - 4/26/2023

This will be in two parts. Part 1 will be written now, before the Poetry in the Park event, and Part 2 will be written later tonight, after the event!

Stagefright fears me

Because, y'all see

I am no weak will

I can and will

Spill verses or lines

At any time

To any mind who

Care to cast their ears

My way

I don't get butterflied

Or stomach tied

In knots

I'm not

That guy

No shaky quaky hands

Mine hold pages

No nervous knocking knees

Mine own stages

Mom's spaghetti never

Stained my shirtfront

I'm up front

Ready to take a mic

Destined for poet life

But what scares me

What sets my teeth chattering

And chases my mellow away

Are the moments between

This one and that one

When this one tonight

Is special

I spend moments

Mulling over multiverses

Where no one makes the effort

To add their essence to the mix

 Make a moment happen

Master their misgivings

Give in to the 

Freely offered acceptance

Accept the invitation

To taste poet life

Part 2 - After the event

Remember I mentioned my fear

Well if "made manifest"

Were...made manifest

You'd understand the size

Of the audience

But I tend to

Shine turds for fun

And refuse to lose

The power of a moment

In the moments that

May have lacked

Lucid dreams from

Just hours ago

Against reality 

May have paled

And failed to reach

What should have

Could have

Still...

I process these things

In stages

Like grief

I give myself time

To take stock

And tonight

Despite low investment

From shareholders who should

See value in verses 

Who shorted themselves....

Because tonight

Dividends were paid...

In spite of that

Epidemic of apathy

(Which seems so often

To rear it's head

I my own poems of late)

That must be the cause

And curse the irony

That poetry

Could be the cure

Tonight

Poets divided...surgically

Deep emotions and 

Let their words

Dance with the dwindling daylight

Passions played out

Against a backdrop of

Soccer cheers

And Harley Davidsons

Roaring through the 

Words that somehow

Poet to poet

Puzzle-pieced into

Masterpiece

Inspiration flowed

"Words flowed"

Words cut the sky like stars

Words were dissected

And resurrected

Rescued from the ledge

Words remembered mothers

Known and unknown

And cherished children

Praised the places and people

Held pedestal height

Yet eye-level

Eyes open...mic open

Sharing the fear

Of not knowing

What words to share

To cheers from those who could hear

Should more ears have heard?

I had my hope

My lucid dream

Now whispered doubt

Did I do enough

But those whispers

Are drowned by echoes

Of all their words