poem today...

altar of ensemble-ness


it’s in the wind tonight,
a voice about the stage
& how playing together

is a serious art form
looks so simple
when really done well

but simple is not easy
& good ensemble casts
have to figure out what family is

before trying to come onstage
together in a show:
a show of – comedy?

a show of unity?
first we need to show one another
how each of us knows our lines,

is well-prepared in our role
to play the character we’ve been assigned
& then we need to forget

ourselves completely.
the only job now is to interpret,
to enjoy, & to make the other actors

look better than they possibly can.
onstage during a performance,
everyone is a star.

how much we help others shine
while forgetting our own beaming glory –
that is the real act, the true role, of light.








(c) Alx Uttermann, 2009