Swan Song

Dedicated to my love for the stage.

She drags cherry stain across puckered lips,

Orchestra sounding in Overture.

The stranger staring back through the mirror,

Pale and beautiful like the moon.

 

She takes her leave down the darkened stairwell

Straight on to center stage,

Crimson curtain shielding her from eager stares.

Eyes closed and palms sweating she breathes in…

 

And out.

In…

And out.

In…

 

And as the curtain rises and amber light engulfs her

She feels the battered wood beneath her feet

Vibrate with pregnant anticipation.

 

Her breath comes out in melodious soprano,

Woodwinds painting her a sorrowful scene,

Brass ripping at her heart with harmonies,

And strings tying her to the spot.

 

A tear forms in her painted eye

As her ballad crescendos in climax,

And rolls down her cheek

At percussion’s final beat.

 

The roar from the audience

Falls on deaf ears

As the spotlight fades to black.

She bids her old friend a watery

Farewell.

Author's Note

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Reviews

[kublakhan27]

A truly beautiful and moving piece my friend...I've been to many plays and even a couple of operas (inlcuing Les Miserables) and I've always preferred stage acting to movies by an overwhelming margin...I always wonder what it's like behind the curtains amid the shuffle of wardrobe changes and everything else that must be going on down there, and I wonder what's going through their minds between scenes...lovely work :)

[Ashira Macy]

Thanks so much Steve, I am so glad you enjoyed it! There is honestly nothing more exciting for me then being onstage performing or backstage getting ready to perform. I will tell you that backstage is a completely different kind of drama than what is happening onstage. Still so much fun though. XD

[kublakhan27]

Haha I'm sure it is...it must be such an odd dynamic, but that's what makes stage actors great...there are no retakes or anything like that, just one scene to the next...last summer I saw Hamlet performed outdoors in a park that was once a military outpost, and much of it took place around the monuments...it started at dusk and ended under the lights...quite the experience ;)

[willweb]

I really enjoyed this one Ashira. I could picture this all the way through. I was taken to that stage, I could feel the heat of the foot lights and see the stares of anticipation from the audience. This was absolutely beautiful and deeply sad at the end.

[Angad Waraich]

Okay!
Well i have to begin with WOW!
I wai blown, i don't think i can write something like this .
You really captured the feel of a play.
Well maybe that's the best part about our art capturing and immortaling it .

Well done.

Thank you for sharing.
Angad

P.S. Sorry for the amount of time it took me to read this piece been really busy of late.

[Pushkar Prabhat]

never seen or done theater performance............but, this poem very beautifully describes the courage it take to perform for a live audience and the joy of it.
i loved it!
:)

[Lyn Anderson]

I love this. It totally describes the feel of ending a play, the satisfaction and the sadness mixed together.

[Avinash]

I can vouch you are one hell of a showgirl. I chanced upon to see you crooning ( Probably American Idol audition which you had uploaded in FB) and trust me with little more effort you gonna rock the world.
That all comes from your love for the stage. I can say that because once upon a time I too was in love with it. :). I have never been let down by any who I put I money on at least performance wise.

[Delmar Cooper]

Excellent poetic essay. The play behind the play, the gut wrench before the curtain raises, the music inside and out. I enjoyed it a lot.

[Jack Wolfe]

Hey, Ashira, sorry for my late arrival, trying to catch up; first I must say, I have never been one for the public stage, speaking in front of large groups, has always been a tedious effort for me, regardless of the amount of times I’ve done it, its never been one of comfort, let along love. I have known people who are not only comfortable but relish in the moment, Paint me green . . . I can understand the nervousness upon approach, and that feeling of ascension when the light blaze then fade. You manage to portray both factors very well, the only question I would have is in your description says, ‘MY love of the stage,’ and yet in the poem you’re telling the emotion from an external spectator, which make it a bit hard to get fully invested (for me) because, how could a spectator know the internal emotion, with the exception of speculation? An enjoyable read, and feel-free to disregard my thoughts, as I tend to read into things a little more than some.

[Einstein Noodle]

beautiful ..through the eyes of the Swan .. such a wonderful poem that succeeds with me! the preparations down to a few deep breaths .. in a flash its over having been spent on those battered wooden boards .. well done! says i .. i involved myself in the school plays the first time i went to college (not my major) and it was so much fun .. my little bit parts opened so many doors for me .. to meet and get to know an eclectic eccentric group of people! not to mention doors within that i was so shy to approach .. visiting professionally done plays and operas is the best! it has been a while .. thank you for inspiring me to seek one out ... its food for the soul
E.

[Arrinae]

Wonderfully written. I'm unsure of what else I can say that hasn't already been said. Well done my friend!

[hardeep sabharwal]

During school days I want to be an actor on stage, though that did not happen, but still I love stage, A nice read here, thank you for sharing :)