So There You Are, Your Audience Before You

 

A number poem for a folksinger in the moment before beginning her performance:

 

So there you are, your audience before you,
Each quite regular in their attendance.
Very soon, you know, they will applaud you,
Engaged, enriched, sustained by your performance.
Now, however, at the edge of silence,
The moment between potency and act,
You marvel at this window on your salience,
So close to dream it does not seem like fact.
Eventually, you step onto the stage,
Vividly what you set out to be,
Embracing fortune, even as you age,
Not least for the favor of your artistry.

 

© by Nicholas Gordon

 

Audio and Video Music: Allégro. By Emmit Fenn. Music free to use at YouTube. Illustration Credit: AI.

 

To see this poem on my site, go to https://www.poemsforfree.com/sother.html. For more number poems, go to https://www.poemsforfree.com/numberpoems.html .