“Ladies and gentleman. We welcome to the stage. A person who breathes the word. A person who loves the word. A person who speaks the word. A person who is the word.” And you’re thinking , WOW! How do I live up to an introduction like that? He doesn’t even know me. Well, what you didn’t know is that a good friend slipped the host ten dollars to say that. She wanted to help you out. Get you pumped up.
” Put your hands together for…” Then you hear your name followed by thunderous applause. You look out at the audience. It gets eerily quiet. You notice their eagerness, their hungry eyes watching, waiting. You walk on the stage into the bright lights. You weren’t going to do it at first. It took a long time to get here. You were shy. But you were curious of how your voice would sound in a room full of people. Your voice reading your words, your poetry.
Then you remember what someone once said, ‘a writer carries the weight of the whole world on his or her shoulders, then gives it back.’ And now it is time to give it back. It all seems so surreal. Now you’re standing in front of a microphone. You put the folder on the little round table and decide to take a seat comfortably on the bar stool. The host comes up and adjusts the mic to your level. You thank him. More awkward silence. Then you speak. At first your voice is raspy, quivering with nervousness. But as the moments go by you get more relaxed, more confident. You read another poem, then another, you read several. Then it’s over. You did it! The applause is overwhelming.
People are telling you how much they loved your poetry. Some (even strangers) tell you how much they identified with you. How much your poetry touched their hearts. You’re on cloud nine. Even the owner of the place (whom you weren’t aware was listening in the back of the room), said how much he enjoyed your work. He asks if you will be coming back next week. You thank him and reply with a simple ‘maybe’. So there’s no commitment.
Then when you get home your dog is waiting for you. As soon as the door opens she knows you did it. She is proud of you. Her big brown eyes are filled with love. She was your first audience. All those days and nights she listened to you over and over as you practiced. And now she has rolled over on her back. You have the honor of rubbing her belly. And you do so without hesitation, because you know both of you deserve it.
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