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 ;)

[Mark]

I know your notes ask for Thoughts and Suggestions… but I see nothing here I would want changed,
You paint with a gift, images form as true tribute to the depth of your love and admiration of one past.

Thoughts and Suggestions? Keep writing, I’m a subscriber now
Thank you Ashira

[Ashira Macy]

Oh wow, thank you Nevyn! You are too kind. I will certainly check out your work as well, if there is anything in particular you would like me to take a look at please let me know! XD

[Mark]

no, not kind (if i don't like or feel, i don't leave feedback;)

no... not so much, I don’t consider myself a poet, I’m here to learn and improve, and reading what I have of your work, I would definitely love some constructive criticism maybe ‘Overcast’ it was my first attempt to write with imagery

[Ashira Macy]

It'd be my pleasure, I will take a look. =)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

And as the curtain rises and amber light engulfs her

She feels the battered wood beneath her feet

Vibrate with pregnant anticipation.


great lines here.

i love this...you really capture the feel of an actor who conjures up from within to play a role...but loves acting so much that she is able to lose herself entirely within the role, while at the same time being an ultimate part of the character herself.

[Ashira Macy]

Thank you so much for your words, what a wonderful takeaway you had. I think you discovered something in this piece that I didn't even see.

[Matching Socks]

Great write Ashira, you paint a picture flawlessly.
Good-byes are always sad, particularly when it's someone/something you love.

[Ashira Macy]

Thank you dear! I completely agree, it is never easy to let go of something you truly hold dear.

[Matching Socks]

Just as lovely as the first time. ;)