Don’t Cross The Proscenium
- The Seasons Of Grief: Chapter IV - Poem X -
The curtain lifts, the act begins,
He stands, adorned with bejeweled sequins
The spotlight burns, the cameras roll,
A leading man in a tragic role
“Take one, take two,”
I hit my marks, I push on through
“Fake it ‘till you make it kid,”
And so, I did
“Lights, camera, smile wide,”
Even when I’m dead inside
They said it’s just another four years,
But the script was cut short, and the ending left me all in tears
I broke down again and fell to the floor,
But the audience screams, “Encore”
Gotta keep grinning, stay pretending like a knight so brave,
Whatever you do,
Don’t cross the proscenium, stay on the stage
I’m so depressed, I dance with no more delay,
A protagonist lost within his masquerade
I cry between the takes, even when you try and reach for my hand,
It’s slapped away, “don’t cross the proscenium,” so I stay where I stand
The curtain lifts, the act drags on,
He stands, a ghost where flesh belongs
The confetti is overwhelming, the claps click,
A dying king in a play is too sick
“Take one, take two,”
They cue me up, I see it through
“Fake it ‘till you make it, dear,”
There’s no one here
“Lights, camera, smile bright,”
Even as I lose the fight
“Just a few more years of yore,”
But the reel burned out, and there was no more
I collapsed again and fell to the floor,
The audience still screams “Encore”
I rise again and give them all,
I wore the mask, I faked the fall
Swallow my pride, increase my fate,
Whatever you do,
“Don’t cross the proscenium, die on the stage”
I’m so depressed, I dress it up in charades,
Confetti in my hair, a part I have to play
I cry between the takes, my hands cover my face,
I’m a pro, “remember, don’t cross the proscenium!”, so I seize the day
The show must go on; they paid to see me fall,
The house is full of onlookers who seem so tall
And though I ache, though I decay,
I’ll hit my cue and take my place
“Don’t cross the proscenium,”
They say, as I dance on the worn stage
