And Then They Hear Me Sing

As soon as they see me
Walk into wherever it is
That they're holding the audition
They begin thinking of how
They're going to tell me
They can't use me
In the show

Some of them try to be creative
Whereas others just say it in a very matter-of-fact voice

'Well, you must realize,' they say
And then I just stop listening

I politely wait
Until their lips stop
Going up and down
And then I say--

'Would you be willing to at least hear me sing?'

And sometimes they say 'No'
Because, and this is just a thought, but--

I think it's because
Part of them
Knows what's coming

But let's not give away the ending

Most of them are nice enough
Or perhaps guilt-ridden enough
To let me sing

I take the stage
Sometimes with a bit of difficult
And the music begins

And then they hear me sing

And although I can't give you
A simple, straight-forward happy ending
Where I proceed to get
The lead role
In everything I audition for

I can tell you this--

When I'm done offstage
And I leave the audition
Even when I don't get the role

I feel like I've walked away
With something better