The Poet Peforms

Now it was real, not just in his mind.
Courage from practice indeed did he find.
No mirror was set, and he was awake–
This, quickly he guessed, could not turn out fake.

“The fear of failure – the fear of success?
Of heart to succeed – of need to impress?
Life’s hidden purpose is only to blame
For everyday life, which plays like a game.”

Scanning the audience, his spirits did drop
At looks of indifference; he wanted to stop.
But his heart pounding, and his hands shaking,
He’s set to finish his undertaking.

“Though be it a game, why do you fear it?
Why harm your heart and with turmoil get split?
Open your heart to this dangerous game—
To be successful, you must not be tame!”

He faltered on something he could not miss—
A gal in the audience blew him a kiss.
Embarrassed, he smiled, and then he resumed
Extracting the words, which in his mind loomed.

“Fear is a trickster, a double-edged sword,
Piercing one freely on its own accord.
Sheathe it completely by power of will
Before the bastard gets a chance to kill.”

The people soon showed a change over time,
Being drawn in by the expertly rhyme.
Their faces relaxed, and some even grinned;
Their traveling eyes on him were now pinned.

“Through the fog of thoughts, the incessant blur,
One fears to follow the fathomless lure
Of heart that reaches into the unknown;
Of heart that reaches, ‘cause it is alone.”

A meek murmur stirred, then silence prevailed,
As the poet’s words, spoken softly, sailed.
He now felt better, his confidence leapt.
His voice now strengthened, through the room it swept.

“A river they make, the enchanted words,
Decaying to rust my double-edged swords.
A poet’s life is a fisherman’s quest
To fish out his words with hope for the best.”

The words flowed with time and a stream they made.
On and on he spoke, ‘til his strength forbade
Him to continue. He abruptly stopped,
Then he fainted and to the floor he dropped.

When he woke up and took a look around,
The audience was gone and he heard no sound.
He had dreamt again. With his dreams shattered,
In this world, his life no longer mattered.

He had lost all hope and he lay back down;
Bitter tears rolled through his fidgeting frown.
A sudden sight made him leap to his feet:
There lay a rose and a note on a seat!

He read the note with utter disbelief
Only to find, with the utmost relief
He was not dreaming, and he read aloud:
“A great performance!
                       The gal from the crowd.”