sometimes i miss the old me and sometimes i don't, but i always appreciate the memory

once upon a time i danced.
i sang.
i pretended at a scripted life.
i wore black and jazz shoes and used words like downstage, proscenium and intermission.
i fed off of applause and bottled water.
warm muscles and natural vibrato.
i collected time signatures and Charlestons and fell in love with a co-star.

once upon a time, my floor was piled with scores and marked-up sheet music and there was choreography tumbling through my head.
there were rehearsals and herbal teas and hours of stretching.
sequins, mirrors and set pieces.
bowler hats, lipstick and a piercing spotlight.

once upon a time i wept to know that i couldn't be a character forever.
i smiled at the memory of a curtain, a cast list, an encore.

and then my real life started and though it wasn't a fairytale, and nobody danced in sync, the plot was more exciting than i ever could have imagined.
and i even kept my leading man.