I used to think,
along with most: we were simply
playing our roles.
We were dynamic characters
surviving hardships
and changing for the better.
Lately I have come to suspect
the work is stranger
and less glamorous than that—
we are living in the time
after the movie has ended;
that moment
of uniform black,
the credits come scrolling.
Suddenly, we are not sure
which one of these strange collections
of symbols we were,
and the audience all have different ideas
concerning when it's appropriate
to get up and go.
