not with just vocabulary
but delivery
inflection
rounded corners
stretched endings
whispered or shouted
flicked or nipped or spit
all the actor’s tricks
to elicit meaning
manipulate reaction
maybe that’s why I write
poetry and read it
with so little of that
to give the listener
motivation to be in the play
pick their part
caste themselves
as characters
good or bad
in reality I’ll be lucky
to find anyone holding a ticket
to an orchestra seat
close enough to see
if the tears or laughter
are anything more than faked
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