"I'm glad you decided to join us Jane. Are you going to share something?"
I looked into those deep eyes of his and just nodded. He chuckled. "Good. I look forward to hearing it. Now if you'll excuse me." He smiled and lightly patted my back. He made his way up to the stage and stood behind the microphone smiling warmly. He squinted his eyes and began, "Well hey their folks. I'm glad you all could make it this evening. It seems as though it's going to be a short one. Not many people want to read tonight. Our young, talented Wally is going to share one, as well as Molly, Jerry, myself, and our out of town guest Jane." It seemed as though everyone turned around and stared at me for the longest time. I kindly smiled and sunk in my chair a little. "So, without further ado, lets get this show on the road. Wally, are you ready?"
Michael sat in a chair next to the stage as Wally walked up. He adjusted the microphone and quietly read his poem. It was a sweet one about catching bugs on an early morning after a night of rain. Michael then introduced Molly who read a poem about her six kids and the mess they made at home. We applauded quietly as Jerry took the stage. He read a disturbing poem about his time as a police officer in New York.
Normally you couldn't tell he had an accent, but tonight, for the poem, he laid it out thick. It sent shivers up and down my spine. I wasn't paying very close attention, at least not until Michael took the stage.
I watched him closely as he read his poem about a former lover. His eyes were intense, and the words seemed to drip from his tongue like honey. And though the poem was sad and brought a tear to my eye, I found myself savoring every word. There was a moment of simple silence after he was done. No one moved, not even Michael. A quiet
"Yes" escaped my lips and I started to applaud quietly. The others soon joined in as
Michael smiled and introduced me to the stage.
My heart sank. I forgot I was going to read. I quickly shuffled through my notebook and found a short poem. Quietly I walked to the stage. I didn't look at anyone. I could hardly breathe. I took a deep breath and clutched the paper in my hands. I cleared my throat.
"Sorry about this. I'm a little nervous. I've never shared my poetry with anyone before." I looked at the paper, then stared at it as I realized which one I grabbed. I took a deep breath and began reading:
"Escaping from life's miseries
I began searching for a little faith
Never once did I fathom
Coming across a physical place
My heart leapt for joy
As I slowly drove down the streets
This little town engulfed me
Its beauty never ceased
My longing for acceptance
Soon took another turn
I found I had desire
For more than I understood
My heart and mind argued
For the better half of a week
But slowly I began to realize
That all I needed was a little town
A little town
Called Faith"