IAN'S POEM

A star is born! MAX and I drove down to see our only grandson, 09, make his debut in his first play! He came home from school with the flyer from their local Community Theater clutched in his hand. "I want to audition! Please?" he asked. We were so surprised, he had never once indicated an interest in drama! He auditioned, and got the part of one of the lost twins in the best "Peter Pan" I've ever seen performed. Ian is a song and dance man for sure; he was given the Showmanship Award by the cast. When his counterpart in the alternate troupe had to drop out, Ian volunteered to take his place. It was a big commitment for a nine year old to play every performance with two on Saturday and Sunday, but Ian gave his best every time he walked out on that stage. He was tired, and sometimes cranky, but he gave each performance 100%, and the play went on to a wildly successful, sold out, last performance! Max and I saw the last three performances. After the last one, I asked Ian a lot of questions about his experience in community theater: What were the auditions like? How did he feel on stage? Did he know what a persona is? Did he forget any lines? How did he feel after the last performance? I asked Ian all those questions and more. I wanted to feel what he felt so I could write a poem for him; one from his perspective. A toy or a gift wouldn't do. A bouquet of flowers was out of the question! But a scroll with his own poem would capture his excitement. He wanted me to read it to him which was so touching. When I finished, Ian threw his arms around my neck and hugged me so hard I could hardly breathe! "Ibu! that's exactly the way it was. You wrote exactly what I felt!" That was my best review...ever!

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