Martin Scott
The applause has all ended, the spotlight is down,
The fans have gone home now to sleep.
I might be the last man awake in this town;
I've got this arena to sweep.
There are chairs to be folded and bathrooms to clean —
Some glamorous job, am I right?
But still, it's a living, you know what I mean,
So I'll be home quite late tonight.
As a young man, I had lots of typical dreams:
I wanted to be in a band.
But touring the world isn't all that it seems,
A lesson I'd soon understand
After hearing the actors and singers and such
Who come here to stand on our stage —
Relationships crumble, and yet in the clutch
They cling to that show business wage.
I married real early; soon babies arrived.
We needed security, so
I took this position. Do I feel deprived?
On balance, I'd have to say no.
My back hurts much more now than ever, it's true;
My hair's getting thinner and grey,
But Sarah and I have a granddaughter, Sue,
Who comes by to visit each day.
I probably could have gone further in life —
Perhaps fame and fortune, who knows?
Yet I have had such a good time with my wife,
And each year the family grows.
Our kids are now married; they all live nearby.
We see them as much as we can.
We could have been richer, I'm guessing, but why?
That wasn't a part of our plan.
Hold on--someone else is awake here. It's Jim,
The lighting guy up in the booth.
(I've recently done a few favors for him;
He owes me a solid, in truth.)
Hey Jim, there's a flattop outside in the car;
Could I have a minute or three
To sing an old song and to play my guitar
While you shine the spotlight on me?
Steven Kent is the poetic alter ego of writer and musician Kent Burnside (www.kentburnside.com). His work has appeared in Asses of Parnassus, Light, Lighten Up Online, New Verse News, Philosophy Now, Snakeskin, 251, and Journal of Formal Poetry. His collection I Tried (And Other Poems, Too) was published in 2023 by Kelsay Books.
Pulsebeat Poetry Journal 