come on down to the Mermaid Cafe

                          TOI,TOI, TOI


the children take the stage
all full of hope and innocence
finding home in their bodies
 the voices of others
my child amongst them
"there are no small parts"
         and that is what he wants
         		to fade into the background
         	singing and dancing townsperson
         			and he is splendid
        						each show
         								my heart stops to watch this child
        								 this young man
         they walk onto the stage and BECOME someone new
         								someone else
i'll be honest and say
        this is no oscar worthy performance on my child’s behalf
         no more emmys will enter our home
         his voice is that of an angel
 but maybe not grammy worthy
being a mother and poet is hard
         where does truth draw a line
         where does reality intercede in poetry
         where does it all end and begin
is this all simply a callback
 a coda
         a return to the beginning of the play
the children take the stage
my son amongst them
trying on new personas
learning new emotions
TOI, TOI, TOI
i am here for it