Upon the Stage

upon the dimly lit stage
sings the beggar girl
her ditty echoing
through a theater decayed
her curtsy
to the empty, imagined crowd
daintily flourished
like china

Arena

The actor paces across his stage,
finding his feet anticipating
the paces he will tread come nighttime.

The empty seats echo back his elocution —
words that murmur and rise,
fall, like birdsong.

Convincing himself to expect applause,
he reprises that first, most precious repertoire:
acting for himself.

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