Heart pounding,

All I can hear is my heart pounding,

And my laboured breaths,

Clawing within my chest,

To find some air worth breathing.

Knees trembling,

All I can feel are my knees trembling,

And my ever growing fear,

Gripping my mind,

To find solace in the chaos.

Red curtains opening,

All I can see are the curtains opening,

And the cheering crowd,

Clapping and whistling,

To please me....

Breathe

Slow the trembling of my heart

Breathe

I've made it thus far

We won't be apart

Breathe

Listen to the quiet of the din

Breathe

The lights blaze above me

They are also within

Breathe

There is nowhere left to roam

Breathe

Raise the curtain up

I am home

...

Anxiety.

Heart pounding,

Hands sweating,

Hard breathing.

Notes in my hand,

Lights illuminating the stage,

A speaker droning on.

Close my eyes ,

Calm my breathing,

I got this.

“Please welcome to the stage,”

My name is called.

One last deep breath,

And i paste on a smile,

And walk onto the stage....

The butterflies going manic within.

Waiting for their moment to begin.

My mouth becomes dry as my breathing increases.

Legs began shaking, about to crumble to pieces.

As I peak through the curtain, hundreds of eyes I see.

I close my eyes and remember this is my moment to be free.

The crowd takes their seats and the murmurs go thin.

The audience now waiting for the show to begin.

I inhale slowly, d...

sweaty hands

blue lights

i can hear the noise from behind my shield

this is what i need

this is what i want

my voice has always been quiet

but my brain is louder than thunder

being heard by my pain

the very thought makes me shake

now my lips are quivering

my lips are ready to move

my heart is full of tears and my body is full of rage

the moment i am up there

speaking my truth

it will close on me

...

I’ve done this for the past 100 days

And yet the feeling stays the same

I’m still anxious and afraid

All it takes is one big step before I enter on the stage

But I freeze and take a breath

I’ve always hated crowds and loud noises but yet it seems I’ve made a career out of it

Ironic I know

But as I take that step onto the stage

My fears go away and I preform another day

Just for the cycle t...

**In, out, in, out, **

**breath caught like a bird, **

**stage fright knots my stomach, **

**a spotlight blazing— **

**skin tingling, heart racing.**

****

**The curtain whispers secrets, **

**each heartbeat, a drumroll, **

**among faces, blurred, waiting, **

**my moment to shine. **

****

**Lights, camera, action—**

**I step into the glow, **

**feeling every eye **

**pierce through my mask, **

**an...

My homemade mask is on

Full of bright smiles

Happy eyes

And rosy cheeks

I’m about to step out of my car which means

Showtime is now here

I’ve gotten pretty good with my acting

I convince people I’m happy

And that I love the person that I am

I act confident

Put together

Like I have everything figured out

Ok

Here we go

One foot in front of the other

I see people in the distance

...

A nervous smile,

A whispered encouragement.

Just waiting while the clapping fades.

Heart, too fast.

Slow down the breathing.

Cool and collected. Please.

Discussion from the actors

That are already on stage,

They chant, then fall silent.

A quiet step

Before a confident persona

Sweeps onto the stage.

A beat of silence

Until a rough voice proclaims,

“So foul and fair a day I have not se...

Breathe it in and hold it close to your chest.

The lights became her eyes.

She was alone

But the river of applause coaxed

Words into the memory of smiles of satisfaction.

It wasn’t about selling. Selling her,

It wasn’t about that. Not for her.

It wasn’t about becoming better than those with voices that

Flowed pure enough to cause shivers of understanding.

That was theirs. But she had hers.

It...