Sunday, April 13, 2014

Drama and Trauma

I am here to talk about Trauma and Drama

When I was eight years old,
I saw a children's performance
And remember going straight to my mother
To say "I want to do that too."

I was impressed with how everyone
On stage was able to sing and dance
I just wanted to be part of the syncopation. 

And Thus began many years in performing arts
I was in multiple productions,
Took ballet and tap, and even did a little Shakespeare
All before I was 13
Simply because I loved being part of anything
That created movement and sound.

And despite personal traumas
I always had drama to take me away from it all

My performing days ended
In adulthood and thereafter
Very few in my grown life
Knew of these things

But in that world,
I watched of a different kind of drama
Of those who never
Had the same escape

Their trauma was acted out
In daily antics.

You see, it never occurred to me
That being up on a stage taught me to cope

I never realized that sweating through makeup
Under bright lights, would enable me
To to see the daily act so many put on,
Where comedy and tragedy are
wWoven into a daily play called life
I – was just performing


But from those performances
I learned to silo my emotions for
Easier access on stage
Because there I could sing, dance
And even cry on demand

I learned how see what was real
And what was contrived

Trauma, is a very real thing
It takes your soul, steals away pride
And robs you of personhood

It can be a sudden interruption
Of peace and calm,
That rips what you thought
A secure life was,

But it can also be a process
That wears you down, eroding will
With every concession you make
And every heart you break,
Even if it's your own

I feel lucky because
I can see the relationship between the two
From my perspective, trauma is what gives us pain
And drama is how we act it out

And if we have no other place to perform
No place to sing, to dance to
Recite truths in iambic pentameter,
We act it out in our lives
With no no stage no lights, no orchestra

Only makeup and costume changes

3 comments:

Fraser said...

Amen, sister. Nice post!

heidi's responses said...

wow-I think u were the babe in sound of music--first role? I was always in the audience, and always amazed.
Love u lots!

Ali Baba said...

Wow, that's great. Dig it.