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Ghost in the Wings
by Alison McKenzieI’m looking for the script –
The one that tells me
Where I need to stand
And what my motivation is
For the next scene.
The lines were memorized
Most meticulously.
A misunderstood role,
I thought I was
Cast as a major player
When the truth was smaller -
A barely supporting character.
I recheck the score
To see if the music
Tells any part of my story
Only to realize I’m not even
Cast in the chorus.
I wait
Behind the big side curtain
For some sort of cue.
It doesn’t come,
And the audience retires
To their meager lives
Away from the theater.
In a last ditch effort to matter,
I haunt the stage,
Wishing I could find my voice
To teach them how they
Could fly, just like me,
If they’d only let go of gravity.
03/04/2012 Author's Note: Though the voice is first person, it's not a self portrait.
Posted on 03/04/2012
Copyright © 2024 Alison McKenzie
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Amy Manning on 03/04/12 at 04:18 PM If it's not a self-portrait it's amazing you captured such a relatable feeling so well. I like this a lot. |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 03/04/12 at 05:08 PM Few of us know our place. So we wander round this stage called life hoping to find an audience that can really relate to us and when we find it the relating is meager at best. I like this also lady. |
| Posted by Kara Hayostek on 03/04/12 at 06:32 PM I totally relate, this is really well written and totally reminds me of myself (at times) and also Annie, from being human (uk) |
| Posted by Joe Cramer on 03/04/12 at 11:56 PM ... excellent..... |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 03/05/12 at 12:09 AM I like how this metaphor plays out - there are parallel existences here - one does not always fit with others, surprising as it may seem. This is very thought provoking, Ali. Thanks! |
| Posted by Morgan D Hafele on 03/05/12 at 12:21 AM this brought me back to my college days trying out for plays and the like. great write. very close to home. |
| Posted by Ken Harnisch on 03/05/12 at 10:56 AM Been caught looking at that stage from the wings, searching for my mark, and never finding it because it wasn't for me...excellent poem, Alison! |
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