| smile for the show I sit by myself in the deserted school yard, leaning, one elbow resting on my knee. Through the chain-link fence of the playground cars pass by in short blurs, And occasionally, someone walks by. Everything is moving so fast - patience appears to no longer be a virtue. Rather, it is something "dumb" that old people still talk about...old, stupid people. I marvel at how quickly my life has gone by - and how quickly it will end. Sighing, I think of things I should of said, should have done...places I should have been. As a child, I vowed not live with regrets, or worse yet, die with them. Now, all I can do is smile sadly and think of the days when things didn't matter- When mother took care of any problems, and grandparents were not capable of doing anything but spoiling me. The same car passes again, the same man walks by and smiles. Hour after hour, day after day, the same dramas unfold Propelled by people who think that they are special and should be treated like kings, And it becomes obvious that the world is run by children. Children who have lost the ability to think creatively, without any sense of wonder in their eyes Yet who still harbor the notion that the world revolves around them. A pain begins to rise in my chest and feeling is lost in my arm. Looking up, the world slows to a crawl, and sounds become muted. My body begins to slip to the ground, slowly, yet with an angel-like grace. As he walks by, the man smiles at me. The car drives up the road and makes its usual turn. The concrete of the school-yard rushes up, eager to greet my frail body. I taste something metallic in my mouth and realize it is blood - my tooth hurts. The world slowly fades to black, and I smile. It is time for the standing ovation. Everyone knows that. |