A.N.

Did I Miss Something?

Did I miss something?
A few lines, maybe?

 

Did I overread the script,
and now my mind is rewriting it?

 

Or did it switch
when I wasn\'t looking,

 

and now they have me
playing a part
I never interviewed for?

 

I don\'t know what it was.

 

But something
isn\'t the same.

 

It feels like a dream now,
not reality.

 

When I say, \"Cut,\"
everything keeps running.

 

And every time I say, \"Action,\"
it seems like time pauses.

 

But I guess Hollywood never sleeps.

 

And the red carpets keep coming,
with deadlines to meet.

 

The cameras are always watching,
and I can\'t catch a break.

 

Every word I speak
is rehearsed
and scripted.

 

Nothing seems to be on my path
but what was left behind.

 

And when I keep moving,
keep going,

 

people pass by.

 

Sometimes I wonder
if I\'m an extra,
just in case someone makes a mistake,

 

or a sidekick
who doesn\'t do anything
but tell the superhero
how great they are.

 

Because I say, \"Action,\"
and nothing happens.

 

It\'s weird.
Cringe.
Cliché.

 

That\'s what every movie is nowadays,
though, right?

 

I read the script
over and over again,
waiting for something—
just something—
to happen as planned.

 

And when I say, \"Cut,\"
maybe it\'ll stop this time.

 

But for now,
I guess I\'ll keep practicing my lines.