Perform for us, the world it cries
An audience with ever-watchful eye
Make us laugh, cause us to think
The spectators yearn, they plead, they breathe
Like a single organ, a pair of lungs
Respiring together in unison
The wrinkled performer behind the mic
I’ve lost that way, that soul, that might
The money’s spent, the piggy bank broke
Not a coin is left in the pockets of my coat
Those nerves have deadened
That fire waned
No longer want to stand up on that stage
Inciting some lips to smirk, the others to praise
All I want is a wink of sleep
Of respite from the work it takes to please
To lie there next to my dear friend
Rub my old bones against his
Transcend the mouth, the teeth, the tongue
The tools of language I never mastered well
Intuit instead the rhythm of the heart,
Merge together, and expire in the dark
