Open Mic

Open Mic

The names are pronounced, the applause rises
And each prodigy, each genius,
Each creator of worlds
Steps, carefully, across the room
And takes up position at the microphone

The first presents us with puzzles
Enigmatic sectioned images to jigsaw together
Meanings of my own to create, discover, forget
And I wish I could do that

The next has us folded double
Tears the breath from our lungs and the tears from our eyes
With laughter uncontrollable
And I wish I could do that

The next tells it straight and righteous
Gives us the facts, real and undeniable
The anger, the injustice, the honesty, the wrongs
And I wish I could do that

The next blankets us with a smothering embrace
A safe space, cozy, secure, and then rips it away
Reveals our howling, empty loneliness
And I wish I could do that

The names are pronounced, the applause rises
And in a twisting instant of panic, I realise
The name I just heard was my own

September 2024

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