you know who i am
and you know what i do
i am this!
i am that!
you tune in to hear me loop around myself
you witness a man going mad
yet you do nothing
you see
you are included in my poetry here
not i wondered lonely like a crowd of clouds
but you did this
you did that
you taking re sponsa biliti
oh im over a barrel here
i dont wanna be all egotistical n write
being being being
i want to inclued you
exclusively
you as the star of my rants
you as the leading light of a new movement
a revolution of the heart
love in action
you will bathe in the glow of warm applause
you sit in the audience
you stand up and take a bow
no no
the audients arent happy with that
its…a standing fucking ovation !
the crowd are chanting for you
you you you
they want you to grace that stage
the great floodlit podium
you stumble towards the end of your aisle
treading on peoples feet
ooh sorry sir
(are you imagining this ?)
you you you
they cry out for you
you check your pocket for your speech
a sudden panic
wheres your speech
what will you say…?
can you make it all up on the spot?
in fronna all theez peeple…?
a few phrases run through your mind
“uh…unaccustomed as i am to public speaking….”
no no thats no good
“it gives me great pleasure…” well thats ok
nah someone’ll mention mr humphries…
meanwhile youve reached the end of your row
and youre walking towards the stage
clapped on by the adoring mob who cannae get enough
the howling cheering audience
you hop up on the stage easily
only assisted by some stage assistants
when they see you up there
they erupt
you take the microphone
ahem! you clear your throat n test the mic
the crowds cheers persist
with a simple hand gesture you wave them down
reluctantly now at last
they sit and the auditorium is quiet
waiting for your words
but
what will you say?
yes, what will you say?
perhaps a long pause at first
while you look around the room
at your peers
your admirers
your fans
your friends n family
your father and your sisters
your legion of well wishers
and all the faceless blurry faces
towards the back
theyre all here
theyre all waiting
waiting waiting waiting
what will you say to them?
how will you bridge this gap?
how will you
hold all of them?
go on then say it
say whatevers in your mind
go on!
quickly now
before the curtain falls
before they get up and leave
before they close the doors
and turn off all the lights
before afterwards
inevitable afterwards
afterwards waiting too
in amongst the audiences
now speak up
now heat up
now rise up
rise up like a bird….