Act I, Scene I

hush...

the crowd is silent.

and i know
in thirty seconds
that hundreds of eyes
will focus upon me.

i press my eye
to the sliver of light
shining through the set door.
i want to know who is there...
i want to make the audience
real.

the brightness of the stage lights
blind me.

i step back
to breathe
and blink away
the spots of light
in my eyes.

the opening music has started;
i hear sinatra croon 'love and marriage'
and tangibly feel the stage
resonate
with anticipation.

i fix my bra strap.
i check my hair.
i smooth my shaky hands against the silk
of my negligee.
yet none of this assists in calming
the butterflies
that flutter-
flutter fly
inside.

i place my hand upon that doorknob.
waiting...
waiting...
waiting for my cue.

we have rehearsed this night
for months.
we have traipsed about this stage
-spilling our blood and our coffee
and our souls-

we could not be more ready.

yet nothing quite prepares you
for that moment.

that
silent moment
when you step on stage
and the world
fades
away.

Reviews

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

Oh Kara you are such a magnificent writer... I love the use of a stage as a setting for the real world

the brightness of the stage lights
blind me.

Yes indeed the weight of the world on our shoulders can be overwhelming.

we have rehearsed this night
for months.
we have traipsed about this stage
-spilling our blood and our coffee
and our souls-

in life many times we go through the motions of certain feelings like love and relationships hoping to get it right...

that
silent moment
when you step on stage
and the world
fades
away.

and no matter how many times we try we still don't get it right in the next scene...

BRAVO BRAVO.... standing ovation my darling(throws a bouquet of roses at your feet... clap clap clap...

Oncore oncore!!

[Richard K]

I love the way you pace your work. I am much more of a fan of symbolism than literal scenarios, but I still find myself with an appreciation for your work. Good job, Karabelle. :)

[Sarah Williams]

You are a master at building momentum in a piece and then allowing that momentum to slowly fade away so that the ending of each piece is a smooth as the first line. As I read through this piece, I couldn't help but feel as though the moment being described has a little more than meets the eye behind it, almost as if it's not quite what one would first believe it to be... Maybe I'm reading too much into things...I think that I turned the piece into a metaphor as I read it, a metaphor for life and for love. Quite breathtaking, my dear!

i fix my bra strap.
i check my hair.
i smooth my shaky hands against the silk
of my negligee.
yet none of this assists in calming
the butterflies
that flutter-
flutter fly
inside.

--What an amazing stanza! Truly wonderful!

[Gandré]

To describe such a moment so pictoresque...beautiful. Very nice poem. I like this light-flowing style, you have.

[Alexis Ryan]

i relate to this so much...i grew up dancing in a ballet company...and was the first career that i pursued...

the feeling is so much fun...and so frightening all at the same time...

i love this one!!

:)

[Gillzy]

As an amateur actor, I know this feeling very well. You describe it and get the reader feeling the same, on occasion.

Except at times the "buzz" fades... when talking about rehearsals, I feel that you lose the butterflies... so that the last stanza has less impact. I understand that that does go through your mind as a calming process, but making the thoughts more like flashes of the rehearsals, fast, like the heart beat, might keep up the momentum of the poem.

Other than that. It's a lovely poem. Really very good :) Melikes.
Gillzy xx

[Jimbo Tee!]

I've never done acting or stage acting, but I feel like I have now. I was in jazz band in HS. Played guitar. I had some butterflies, but I couldn't imagine being out there, all alone in front of all those people.

This has great flow to it. It pulled me in to the actors world.

Very well done.

[JP thinks the WC is apt..]

You've really captured the drama off the stage and on it - the anxious wait for that final call and that moment, as you have so nicely expressed, when the 'world fades away'. A lovely closing line in that it also alludes to 'all the world is a stage'. I can almost hear the creaking of the boards.

[Katie B]

What I really liked about this poem that is build intensity as your own emotions build intensity. I could feel what you are feeling. I too have been on stage mainly because I was in band but I do know that feeling as you get closer and closer to that performance that flurry of butterflies. This was very well written.

[Lola Nation]

I hear people in that show tune way singing about being on

BROADWAY!! ....


BROADWAY!!

Live essence captured in this poem well. Very exciting, well lit, last checks, enter stage right...

break a leg!

[Nihad Dweidary]

Tell me about the play. I love the intensity of the moment. Last night I dreamt I was standing before a huge audience and singing a beautiful tune. Metaphorically speaking, that means that a great moment is in waiting for me. ;P I love the build-up in your poem. You really capture the escalating adrenaline that precedes a highlight like a play or a musical. Encore!

Love, -Nihad