I think I might have been cast
As an unknowing understudy
Under your direction and pinned
Under the weight of your woes
The main actress has vanished
The show has been running
For hundreds of performances
And she knows what to do
The cues are designed for
Her footsteps and her voice
The dresses have been fitted
To her mannequin form
And she knows how to soak
In the hot spotlights like California
Sunshine, sunlight, sun
I thought this was just a reading
But now I am in costume and
The stagehand is mic'ing me up
And odd hands are feverish all over
My goosebumped legs and
Sweat-pearled face
You’re handing me her
Headshot
“Please be this…we need
You to be this.”
But I am not
And I cannot
So I take to the stage
And hope I break a leg
