If You're Not on the Cast List

If you're not on the cast list
It's political
It's the director's vision
It's your talent
It's your bad attitude
It's your reputation
It's your life, vanished
It's a mistake
It's an error
It's just wrong

If you're not on the list

If you're not up there
Then the others who are
Slept with the director
Babysat for their kids
They're their nephews
Nieces, siblings, distant cousins

If you're not up there
Then the people who are
Are not as talented as you
And should not be up there
And how did this happen?
And should someone be fired

I think someone should be fired

Fired, yes

If you're not on the cast list
Then you might as well kill yourself
Because the opinion of one person
Or two people, or more
Determines your value as an artist

Because those people couldn't possibly be wrong
Or bitter
Or jealous
Or unintelligent
Or narrow-minded
Or wrong, just plain wrong

Because they make the list
They're in charge of the list
And if you're not on the list, they're wrong
And if you're on the list, they're brilliant

If you're not on the cast list
Then you're back at the school yard
And you're nine
And nobody wants to play with you
And it sucks
But you grow up
And you make your own playground
And you swing on your own swings
And it feels better because they're yours
They're not swings somebody else gave to you

Does that make sense?

Maybe not

But if you're not on the cast list
Then you're not on the list
And there will be more lists
And one day you might make the lists
Or you might not

But just remember
It's just a list
It's just paper
And names
And one day the paper
Like the show
Will be gone

And there will be another list in its place
And your name might be on it
And your name might not be on it
But the only thing you can do

Is look
Look away
And move on