I have chosen where I shall lay,
By the edge of the stage
Just before the actors and
The ropes that draw the curtains,
I shall sit here
Watching audiences
And making tallies
At the pass of each scene
And at the moments
Where I see
Through the performance
But I shall not applaud
And I do not hope to be seen,

On occasion I may smirk
Or cringe
At the nanny and the kids
Who line the front row, like
A single hair upon a chin
But nonetheless they sit
Strapped in
Eager to watch, but  
I fear they focus on the rot
That lays hunched
And gaunt, like a plague,
Oh, whatever happened
To the man
At the edge of the stage ?