"downstage" poems
At the end of the dance what do you see?
When they collapse
What do you see?
The leads
The dog
That cute girl in the third row
That way the stage right girls legs are wide open
The cute boy who's in the splits downstage left
The upstage left girl that's in a bent line
Or do you see the other side of thing
The way one girl keeps her legs together
Because she modest
The nice looking boy who's in a legs are in straight line
Because he brother was *****
Do you see the girl who put makeup on her arms
To cover her scars
Or do you see what I see?
The boy in the front
Yeah, you know who I'm talking about
The popular one
He's the one with the perfect life
Put in the front row
He huddles
Into a little ball at the end
Fetal Position
Because he's scared
Scared that someone knows
Know what he covers
His skin, his emotions
Only one can recognize one of their own kind,
Oct 24, 2013
Oct 24, 2013 at 4:21 PM UTC
the set
upstage center
layer on layer of red brick
one door with screens
three steps in faux cement
bay windows on either side
action stage right
a young girl dances in rain
wearing a fake leopard-skin
leotard
action stage left
a man builds a garage
from a cardboard box
plan
wooden boards the
color of brick
action center stage
a young boy aged ten
poses proudly in
cub scout uniform
a woman snaps a pic
downstage center
a man plants a tree
near the road
he waters the tree
he mows the lawn
stage left
a 1950 Olds cutout
sits in the driveway
in the pit
the concrete street
has no sidewalk
a woman rides a bike
pedaling in rhythm
she waves at the
neighbors
the boy grows up
this is his fake house
they are his fake family
he waits for his
curtain call
Sep 17, 2019
Sep 17, 2019 at 12:45 PM UTC
It seems as though I live my life
Downstage right and closest to the footlights.
I need the warmth of those glowing bulbs
To thaw a sometimes frozen heart.
I’ve learned my lines and know the scenes
But the blocking still confuses me
And I’m not sure which way I turn
To delver my soliloquy.
I know this drama has four acts
But this is intermission
And I’m waiting for the lights to dim
And call the audience back inside
To watch until the final curtain.
ljm
Apr 21, 2025
Apr 21, 2025 at 12:35 AM UTC