There's a Certain Feeling of the Stage

The quiet murmurs between dancers backstage,
Listening patiently in restrained excitement for director's notes,
Behind the curtains, staff frantically calls countdowns till showtime,
Getting into position before the music screams in the audiences eardrums,
1, 2, 3, 4, go with the anticipation that a count will be forgotten,
The first move is made and an entirely different person fills my place,
Rhythmic fairy dust spins around the body that used to be mine,
Nothing runs through my mind but the music,
Spinning and twirling and leaping its way through the audience,
Capturing their attention like moths to a lamp,
Nearly blinding stage lights near my feet,
The audience seems so dark and so far away,
But I can hear a whistle and a cheer and see a face staring up,
As my feet explore the black Marley flooring,
Skid marks from my shoes leave the motions of the beat earlier,
And the empty, dusty, dimly lit theater becomes a place of enchantment,
In it there is mystery and excitement, but also a certain kind of calm,
Finally being able to show off something that's been worked on for so long,
Like pushing a truck uphill for a year,
And rolling back downhill in a convertible,
Leaving the stage gasping relief, feeling on top of the world.

There was a Paige Pohlad Went Forth

There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object she look'd upon, that object she became;
And that object became part of her for the day, or a certain part of
The day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.


Sitting on the broad shoulders of Father,
Strolling down streets bordered with trees,
Headed home after losing sense of time on the monkey bars,
Pretending to sleep until unconsciousness actually flooded,
Opening eyes to warm milk with sugar
In a small plastic mug embellished with a sketched rabbit,     (10)
Printed leggings and black mary-janes,
Lying on the red metal bed asking questions became a part of this child.


Mother calling up the stairs that dinner would be ready soon,
Father's jazz playing while we ate,
And always being told to take three more bites before dessert,
Mother pushing the grocery cart, always forgetting milk,
While a pair of legs hung out kicking,
Father teaching to catch the small football under the Magnolia tree,
Mother reminding the Peroxide would only sting for a second on scrapes,
Mother and Father talking in the front seats on road trips became a part of this child.     (20)


Meeting the extremely old and powerful first graders,
Breaks from class playing football with all the boys,
"May I go to the bathroom please?"
Nap time where there would be anything but napping,
Circling the arena in a saddle on Saturday mornings,
Peering out of the window on Christmas Eve to catch a glimpse of  any reindeer,
Wishing more kids the same age would move to the neighborhood became a part of this child.


New friends to sit with at lunch,
The height difference of the new "boyfriend,"
The new girl on the block who would eventually be the most important person in the world,     (30)
Rumors sneaking through the hallways,
Falling continuously through style phases,
Trying out for the Lady Hurricanes volleyball team,
Terribly awkward haircuts and bad teeth became a part of this child.


Staying up through the late hours into the early morning,
Wishing for nothing more but sleep,
Having no best friends, but acquaintances,
The treat of seeing old pals,
Learning who really does care,
Improving as a person became a part of this child.     (40)


Worrying about grandma in New York on 9/11,
Not being able to pay the bills on time because of economic crisis,
Watching the country being handed over to someone who deserves it,
Praying a friend in Japan is okay after radiation leaks,
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.