Picture this:
Let’s say you’re a shy actor but not in movies but in theatre
And you’re ready to blow people’s minds with a performance that you have planned for the longest of times
But you’re scared of looking at people in the eye; especially an audience like this
So, your mind tells you to go up there on stage and give it your all
But when you step your foot out of the curtain you can feel the presence of a thousand eyes now locked in
You go into the center of the stage with your head glued to the wooden floorboards and before you take a breath in you start to have an idea
“Just close your eyes during your performance and open them when you’re done” that’s what your mind said
And you did just that
With both of your eyes closed shut
You began to perform your greatest talent that is filled with love and excellence
Or that’s what you at least thought
After you are done you open your eyes slowly starting to feel better about yourself
You raised your head
But in your surprise, there was no one to be seen
All the seats were empty
The doors are all closed
No voices or applause or chanting or cheering coming your direction
The entire atmosphere was dull and quiet
In fact, the spotlight that was right above when you first went onto the stage was gone
So, you’re left in darkness in the theatre
You felt confused and astonished because you knew that during the middle of your performance you could hear voices of different people coming your way but now that you opened your eyes fully all the voices stopped
Your body is telling you to get out of the stage, but you couldn’t
it was if your mind has shifted with the voices into the abyss
So now you’re frozen
Can’t move
Can’t act
Can’t dance
Can’t perform
tears running down your face as you stand still with your head glued onto the wooden floorboards again
And during this moment in this very quiet scenery the only sound that you can hear was your tears colliding onto the ground
This time was different because your eyes are open and not shut
You start to regain your movement again after being frozen and wipe away your tears
Starting to think about what to do next
Should you walk away from the stage and leave or look for where the audience left to
You couldn’t decide
Your mind has abandoned you
But for a second you started to feel something strong
It was your heart
And now your heart is telling you to just keep on performing but this time with your eyes open
And for a second you thought it was stupid and unnecessary for the situation you’re in, but you decided to go for it just for fun
You did a whole redo of a performance last time with your eyes open and not glued to the ground
And even though it was dark and empty from where you are you felt warmth approaching your way
And then 5 seconds later you see someone open the door and without thinking you begin to feel whole again

festering like the fungus on rotting fruit
moulded to the shadow



torn from it
motion making it's stop
the flatline
an event horizon
        and   i  
  looked


blank became the canvas
as existence shrunk from view
and i saw it all;
and it was glorious

but the curtains were closing
momentary was the sight bestowed
which fleeted faster than life
from this withering device of animation

elapsing back to nothing
a fade to black

An explosion,
pulse quickened,
the adrenaline itch
threatened to stifle me

throat constricted,
mouth cotton dried
as I eyed the few I could see
in the front row

then the music
as familiar as my pillow
gave a beat and suggested melody
and as I sang I rose

I Guess Most Are IMPRESSED...
By Poets Who Are Blessed...
With... Mental Capabilities...
To Memorise Their Poetry... !!!!

Do These Poets IMPRESS You... ???

If Not... That's Cool...
But If YES Is Your Answer...
I'm IMPRESSED TOO... !!!!

Cos' THIS It Seems...
Is The HOT Thing...
To Join Slam Poets School...

I Recite From Paper...
Cos' I Write From PAPER... !!!

It's Good To Read...
But MOST Now DON'T... !!!!!

Try Testing A Child And You'll BELIEVE...
Employers PLEAD For Kids Who READ...
But MOST Now Think... TECHNOLOGY...
Will COVER Their Lack of … LITERACY... !?!

I've Got A LAZY Mind...
When It Comes To Learning Rhymes...

But Poets Who I See...
With Retentive Memories...

Sometimes I Do Believe...
Can End Up STUNG Like Bees... !!!

When Words That They Had Memorised...
ESCAPE Their........... Memory...... !!!!!

Now Sometimes EVEN Reading...
Can Leave Some Poets REELING... !!!

But This To Me's APPEALING...
cos' THIS To Me SHOWS FEELING...
That Words They're Now Reciting...
To THEM Have DEEPER MEANING... !!!

Slam Poets Are Now SCREAMING...

"Our Stuff Can Have DEEP MEANING !"....

WELL YES THATS TRUE...
SOME Slammers DO...

But MOST Are Writing STUFF That PROVES...
They REALLY KNOW NOT What They Do... !?!

That's Got You People...
Saying... " Oooooohhhhhh "... !!!!

CALM Down Now Folks...
You Know I'm … “ COOL “...

Simply From My Vocal DROOL...
I'm Trying To Say That Reading's GREAT...
So When You Judge Judge Their WORDPLAY...
NOT Actions That Slam Poets... " MAKE "... !!!

… ” PERFORMING "...
Is The BIG MISTAKE...
If What You're Saying...
HOLDS NO Weight... !!!

I'm NOT Here To ENTERTAIN...
Like KRS-One I.... " EDU-TAIN "... !!!

By Using Words...
To … FEED Your BRAIN... !!!

My Style AIN'T Built …
To Make You SMILE... !!!
Or For A Movie Like... " 8 Mile "... !!!!

I Just Compile Poems To RILE...
Slam Poets Living... In DENIAL...
cos' When Our Work Is Put ON TRIAL...
They'll Get DONE Like *******... !!!!

While Scrolls I Write In THIS HERE Style...
WILL BE Sought After Like.... " X Files "....

STOP THE PRESS... !!!

It's Time RIGHT Now...
For A PUBLIC ADDRESS... !!!

"Big Virge has slammed,
and brought distress !
He's a ******* devil,
in poetic dress !"

I've Been God Blessed...
To Write... REALNESS...

So Are You People NOW...

... " IMPRESSED "... ???

Performing Art
by Michael R. Burch

Who teaches the wren
in its drab existence
to explode into song?

What parodies of irony
does the jay espouse
with its sharp-edged tongue?

What instinctual memories
lend stunning brightness
to the strange dreams

of the dull gray slug
—spinning its chrysalis,
gluing rough seams—

abiding in darkness
its transformation,
till, waving damp wings,

it applauds its performance?
I am done with irony.
Life itself sings.

One suspects the typical American poetry professor and/or workshop instructor would advise birds to give up singing for mostly inaudible expressions of jaded irony. Keywords/Tags: performing, art, poetry, song, singing, music, irony, cynicism, parodies, dreams, imagination, chrysalis, butterfly, transformation, natural, performance

Crowded bar
Drink held in hand
Music blaring loud
Pretty sure my soul is ******
After the second round

Shot of whiskey down throat
One more to follow
Sea of ***** keeping afloat
Weightless with each swallow

Dizzy head
Thick and light
Clouded
Pulsing
And hazy
Tiredness drags down my sight
Legs relaxed and lazy

Warmth spreads throughout torso
Fingertips begin to tingle
Euphoria inside my brain grows
My neurons and serotonin mingle

Air heavy
Sweat and motion
Humid heat clinging to my skin
Around me is a blurred commotion
Logic and sense wearing thin

Tummy performing cartwheels
Whole place unbalanced and dark
Stool wobbly underneath my heels
Bartender pouring from a fifth of Monarch

Saturday night in a tiny town
Where everything else is just too far
So you find yourself driving the same road down
To the local nothing-better-to-do bar

my favourite actor
nothing less than perfect
my whole world, all i saw

but then you became something else
someone else
even though you were wearing the same mask
as you did when we first met

on the outside the same
but on the inside you changed
therefore i still watch you
as you perform in the crowded hallways

how do i heal from a loss of someone who hasn't died