Memoir of Moments (#10): Speaking to a silent crowd

I was standing on stage about to perform a poem and when I stepped up to the microphone, I realized that I had no idea how bright the spotlight was. That felt like my first time. I couldn’t see anything, just the brightness of the spotlight and darkness everywhere else. I started the poem. As I spoke, it felt like I was speaking to no one. It was either an empty room or a silent crowd, and it was an odd feeling. Why speak to no one? But yet I could hear them listening. Listening has a sound. So does your voice. And sometimes those two things are meant to be together. Even if you’re talking about Play-Doh spaghetti. Just keep talking. Maybe someone will laugh.