The Actor

A Poem by Tannim

The actor stood upon the stage.
Spoke the words written for him,
went through his steps by rote.
Nothing of himself in the actions,
no passion.
He accepted the audience’s polite applause,
bowed low as the curtain fell.
Then later,
after everyone had gone
he returned to the stage.
Spoke the words that were in his heart,
danced to the music in his soul.
And when he was done
he wept.
Wept for the beauty he had just created
and for his inability to share it with others.
For despite all of his hours upon the stage
he was too shy
to be himself.