NaPoWriMo- Day 5: Performance Anxiety

You are presented to the crowd,
You are exposed, you are naked.
And most of all, unprepared.
And this makes you feed afraid.

And you’re accustomed to improvisation
But this always inspires a sense of damnation
And you know you should so something.
But the spotlight is on and you’re blanking.

You feel as though you should dance or sing
But you simply cannot think of anything.
The crowd breathes high expectations
And this is the moment when you begin.

You take your first few steps, and hesitate
You open your lips, but close them again.
A pin’s drop could be heard in the silence.
And you can feel the building tension.

You try again, because you know you must
And another step successfully follows the first.
A syllable escapes from your frozen lips
And it is just enough to start off a series.

You find yourself performing despite all fears
You find you’re the biggest of all your obstacles.
And you realize that in order to succeed,
You must overcome your fear of yourself.

Talented, beautiful, a star by any standards,
You can’t seem to own up to your own merits
But you press on, with your biggest critic inside
And the little light within you begins to shine.

A rush of relief overcomes the panic
And an eternity is lived in a few minutes.
And for just one moment, you are complete,
And enough for yourself and everyone else.