Tears drown out the actors fears
the final curtain closing, no encore

an audience rises like flames
from fire burned seats

they demand more of the play
they cannot clap, for
with only one hand
no sound can be heard

so, as tears form seas,
the waves instead
form an applause
they clan & crash,
hitting sand bagged shoes

the actors hear the clambering feet
as audiences trudge through water
from theatre seats to vestibule
fleeing tidal storms which chase,
from the inside to the outside

the stage stands isolated
an island amidst wreckage

languishing ebony ceilings
crystal chandeliers shatter

the actors race to front stage
take a bow with a final goodbye

& sink into the solitude
of a vast ocean of pain.

© Sia Jane