I take a deep breath as I stand in the dark, 

clearing my mind,

I focus.

I think clearly now.

The warm spotlight on my face,

a cue to start.

Silence,

people breathing, 

And then there's me.

I can be happy,

I can be excited,

I can be a psycho 

I can even be dead.

Heck, 

I can be whatever or whomever I wanna be.

Nobody can stop me,

They have to sit back and watch.

Until the end of the show.

The end of my show, 

Only I know how it will go.

Until I bow and dismiss their presence.

I’m in control 

and I’m Happy because 

I can be whomever or whatever I wanna be.

On stage nobody can stop me.

I am happiest,

because on stage

is where I can truly be 

the one and only me.

            -Janessa Duenas