༺ Yarn ༻

the clowing workshop
could really get rough
away for a week
with some scary genius
at one point
we had to go on stage
for a timed three minutes
we were not allowed
to move or speak

at first there was panic
self-consciousness at its worst
it felt like something pressing
hard up against my face
a thing I had been avoiding
for as long as I could remember

the thing is
anxiety can only go so high
and then it can’t maintain itself
and naturally begins to drop
the pressure eased off
I noticed someone in the audience
and they noticed me
noticing them
for some reason it was funny
and people began to giggle
pretty soon it was riotous
I’m still not really sure
just what was so funny
but my God, funny it was!

my three minutes was up
I felt like a king
never again did stage fright
come to spoil the party