performance anxiety in poetry

you are conducting
a performance art piece
wherein you play out
the role of a human being
a literal part of a lifetime
keep this in mind

the way you wipe your ass
the way you mourn your dead
the way you mutter to yourself in the shower
when no one else in the house can hear you
this is all your process
this is all your bravura performance
as yourself

the difficult is that
we're so immersed in the play
we're such committed method actors
we've gotten lost in the recitation
we've become convinced
that the little description of us
in the playbill next to the cast
is all that we are
is all that we could ever be
take an intermission
step out of the costume
wipe off the make-up
and breathe

it's okay
your part is not all that you are
you can take a breath
it's not your next scene yet
be whatever the hell you want
for a little while
I grant you permission
for this intermission