From the Wings
one super moment

I am sitting with my feet
Tucked beneath me
Shoeless, the black wooden floor
Hurts my ankles a little

Almost naked in a choir robe
And wig, I am less than ten feet from
Catherine as she approaches her children
With a knife - her eyes
Glisten with operatic fervor

The orchestra responds, prods
Strings scream -
Woodwinds cascade -
Crash into brass

The knife is clenched, her right hand
Shakes gathering resolve

As she passes she shoots a downward
Glance - our eyes meet for one millisecond -

The stage floor creaks - her gown
Rustles and sighs - there is only the two of us

by John Guglielmelli

photo by Mike Harvey