a wonderful(ˈwəndərfəl), intense(inˈtens) drama(ˈdrämə)

a wonderful(ˈwəndərfəl), intense(inˈtens) drama(ˈdrämə)

the play as revelation(ˌrevəˈlāSHən)

By Henry H. Walker

when the two leads(led,lēd) took their bows(bou,bō),
I stood up to applaud(əˈplôd) them,
with tears(te(ə)r,ti(ə)r) in my eyes
and awe(ô) in my soul
at what they and their comrades(ˈkämrəd,ˈkämˌrad)
wrought(rôt) upon the stage tonight,

at the end of a long week,
with all of us within the recursive(riˈkərsiv) nightmare(ˈnītˌme(ə)r)
our current(ˈkə-rənt,ˈkərənt) politics(ˈpäləˌtiks) visit upon us,
here was a profound(prō-,prəˈfound) play pulled(po͝ol) off,
created by high schoolers
just coming full into their power,

they call up a slice of the truth of our past
we’d rather not remember,
when minds(mīnd) felt surer(SHo͝or) the smaller they got,
the more moral(ˈmär-,ˈmôrəl) when they rushed to judge(jəj),
St. Peter was counting and the Pharisees(ˈfarəsē) were in charge,
the letter of old rules trumps(trəmp) what love demands(diˈmand) of us,

one character(ˈkariktər), so lost in her own desires(dəˈzī(ə)r),
that all others became but means to an end,
an end that only serves(sərv) her,

a director who knows the stage as revelation,
revelation of thought, of feeling,
of students coming into their power,

I am pulled into the students’ world,
and I am called to appreciate(əˈprēSHēˌāt) whenever, however,
the greatness(ˈgrātnəs) of spirit(spirit) can find the way to manifest(ˈmanəˌfest),
for a time.