I was supposed to have auditions tonight
for a musical I am directing
but it snowed
the show is at the theater where I met my wife
that was in 1991
we were in a play together
I was 31 she was not
We both played witnesses
for the prosecution
It snowed then too but not at auditions

She was the President of the theater at the time
and they needed another body onstage
she doesn't like "onstage"
She prefers to be dressed in black
in the dark
with a notebook
flashlight
and headset
She's doing that for this show too

I've been onstage
I've sprung from a jack-in-the-box
been an aide to the Emperor of Japan
I've yelled at Stella
and hit a priest over the head
with a poker
I've been in a hospital in Burma
During World War Two
but now I prefer to direct
from behind a table
I have a big notebook too
I used to have pads, pencils and snacks
all over the table
but now
it's mainly computers, iPhones and tablets
and snacks

The first time I was onstage
and when I first fell in love with theater
was when I was in fifth grade
my teacher was into theater
and I didn't know it then
but the theater she was "really into"
was the one where I met my wife
the one where I was supposed to have auditions tonight
for a play I'm directing
but it snowed.