Eyeing the Competition
by
Cristina Lipp
copyright 01-21-2003
Age Rating: 13 to 127
Sitting here, uncomfortably
Between these walls
Rectangular, impersonal,
I chat amicably with two strangers
Whose names I'll soon forget
As I walk out the door.
The young men, boys really
Detached, unconcerned
Tune their instruments
To the songs going round
In their heads,
While my heart somersaults
In my chest,
And my mind races
With a million cares
Having nothing to do
With why we're here.
And the giant butterfly
Trapped within
Spreads it's prickly wings
And flutters demanding
Why are you here?
You can't do this;
But it matters, dear God.
It matters to me -- not them.
So I sit here, still
Dreading the call
That will come too soon.
I sit, with the butterfly
Now inside my head
As I watch the girls walk in
One by one - all four of them.
They sit here and there
Decorating the chairs
To my left, to my right
Each one, it seems
More confident than the next
And I die
Just a little
As the bandleader calls out
"Ready?" looking hard at me
He tunes his guitar nonchalant
Never batting an eye;
While I, dear God,
Sit glued to my chair,
Not moving a finger
Not daring to breathe
Here -- I sit frozen
Eyeing the competition.
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you recommend or rate the work highly...
We like the competition. It's what gives us the desire to get better. If I did not care what people thought, I wouldn't need to write the poems down. Thanks, Anthony
Hi Christina: Nice to meet you. Thanks for the nice comment on Jo's Author's Corner article re: Me. I really enjoyed this piece...especially: "the girls" sitting there, "decorating the chairs". Nice way to put it!
Bunny
Cristina, I think I like this as well as anything you've posted. The flow is impeccable and I could nearly feel all the instruments tuning up. Just wonderful...
Welcome !
