Actress 2

She waits,
Glancing up to where those
Rose red folds of velvet
Fall like a waterfall toward
The wood and paint of the stage,
the thick fabric muffles the
Roar
Of a crowd hungry for its show.
Her heart beats fast,
Her makeup feels heavy,
The tape of the microphone wire
Yanks harshly at her skin when she moves.
The crinkly, crackly voice issues softly
From unseen speakers in dark corners:
"Actors, actors. Curtain in 1 minute."
Almost time now.
She breathes again, inhaling
Her new body and mind and soul.
She is no longer herself.
The velvet waves of red begin to part,
The stage lights shine in her eyes.
This is where she belong.