A Dramatic Reading

She stands on a dimly lit stage; a single spot light shines down isolating her. Dramatic percussion thumps quietly in the background mimicking a beating heart. It builds in crescendo. She is nervous, so she fidgets as she steps up to the mike…thump……..Thump……..THUMP. And the drums stop,

Tap tap tap, on the mic

She clears her throat and speaks softly into the mic…A Melodramatic Emo poem about why I can’t sleep, by Shannon Nguyen.

With a deep breath she begins:

During the day,
When I force my smile to reach my eyes,
I laugh, I joke, I play,
I say a 1000 times I’m fine.

But in the dead of night,
When my empty bed has never sounded more alone,
I cry, I pray, I wish,
My mind is free to roam.

And in the waking hours,
When it’s darkest before the light,
I wait for the day to whisper,
Everything will be alright.

Thank you…she says to the thunderous applause. Thank you.

She exits stage left.