Auditions.
You walk in,
and there they are.
The ones who have
your part in their hands.
The ones who could either
tear you down,
and raise you up.
You state your song
with a smile,
and nod to the
accompanist.
This is only a high school
production, just smile
and relax.
The notes of the past
couple weeks, the hours
you spent practicing,
the times you spent
practicing mouthing the words
to your reflection in the mirror
while you drank only tea
and water to prepare,
suddenly melts in your ears,
and you open your mouth.
The words spill out
and you get lost,
caught up in the song
and your performance.
Focus.
Don’t look the judges in
the eye.
If they write something down,
don’t assume it’s negative.
Keep your act going.
The song ends,
you hold it for a moment,
and then open your eyes
and smile.
They tell you
you did great,
and you smile again
and thank them.
End of audition.
It’s okay to breathe.
Time to stop shaking,
you did fine.
You walk out
of the audition room,
and your friends
hug you and tell you
good job,
even if they didn’t hear it.
You tell them good luck,
and go to grab your things.
Time to go home,
and prepare for tomorrow.
Sigh.
