The Dark Before the Show

Velvet seats dissolve into black,

a sea of quiet breathing.

Lights dim but not gone,

a soft blackout holding its breath.

Every eye fixed ahead,

every heart slightly suspended,

waiting for flickers,

for the flicker that pulls us under.

The hum of the projector

swallowed in the hush,

sticky floors and whispered scents

of popcorn not yet popped.

This darkness, thick and alive,

holds stories before they begin.