Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?
I grew up not knowing the sound of my voice,
The feel of the wind upon my face,
I was tall,
Spouted young,
Never wanted breast,
I was a cowboy like John Wayne,
The heart of an eagle,
The whole courage of an ant!
Yet invisible,
A member of the theater company at school,
Our teacher in high school asked me to do a walk on in Sound of music,
I was eighteen,
My voice filled the auditorium,
I was Frau Schmitt at the concert when the Von Trapp Family Singers escaped,
I was first runner up,
I was dressed like an Austrian,
pigtails in buns over my ears,
A love quilted like dress my sister made,
That was before she murdered her gay sister and neatly took her mom’s life too,
I was to come out and bow,now,bow,bow,bow and get flowers from Max played by Bill Strouder,
Bill asked to bow less,
Bill was afraid of losing his lines,
I bowed less,
I also supported one of Maria’s bedroom walls and a mountain,
I love being a thespian,
This last year I wanted be apart of the Independence,Iowa play company,
I went to two meetings,
They could not figure out how to start the elevator to work the elevator,
I walked backwards down thirty steps in the Methodist church to the cellar,
The stage was there,
Tryouts were going on,
The cripple I guess they figured was funny,
I wanted to try out for what seemed a stupid play,
This butch isn’t a hat girl,
Then they lied,
Lies cut off oxygen to brains,
Saud they were not going to rehearse any more until fall,
They’d call me,
Nothing!
A thousand years ago no cell phones,
Smoke was sent to neighboring villages,
Words were kept,
Gays were spoke if as having Two spirits,
I have survived being hit twice by cars,
Once at eighteen on horseback,
Once walking my ten speed,
My voice is good!
Like John Wayne,
An Iowan Cowboy!
Val Whitewolf 