The world is a stage. But I’m no actress! I stand here in the middle of the stage waiting for the spotlight to shine upon me. I feel small, unworthy. Invisible to the naked eye. There without light, darkness falls. I’m standing in the middle of the stage in darkness. Doubt caressing my skin. Whispering malicious words. Fear emerging from the darkness. I see it, I feel it. Then I smile. Proud. Confidence emerging from the fire within. Darkness retreats. The world is full of stages! Here where I stand is mine! Mine is like no other. It is a book, It’s a sentence. My stage is a page. A blank page and I am the pencil. Black and white we become one. There where the page is my stage darkness, doubt, nor fear can take the light away from me. For here I rein. This is my world. This is my stage! I proclaim the page my stage. Every day and every night! Word by word.
This poem was first published in 2005.