The Play

THE curtain rose before I was aware.
My lines? I never learned them till I’d spoken.
The stage props seemed quite old, and some were broken,
And some weren’t even there.

Until I spoke, my lines were never learned.
I moved too slow, or even missed my cue.
The plaudits were quite far between and few.
And frequently unearned.

How slow I was! My cue I often missed.
My speeches sounded definitely dated.
Yet nearly everyone was kind and waited,
And almost no one hissed.

Oh yes, each held his tongue till, more or less,
The actor playing opposite had ended.
The play, for all that, went uncomprehended,
Though pretty good, I guess.

It dawned upon me almost at the last:
The audience really had not noticed me.
No wonder! Each conceived himself to be
A member of the cast.

I never quite found out why I was there.
It well may be I simply missed my calling.
The curtain, it turns out, has started falling
Before I was aware.