1.

In a former life
I met with grand impersonators
in the dining halls of castles and chateaus.

2.

I met actresses of high importance backstage
who lamented songs of sorrow
onstage.

3.

I posed in portraits outside in forests
with regarded men
regarded for their humor.

4.

I studied Shakespeare
with names that graced
all mediums.

5.

I waited stagedoor for songstresses
to lay their eyes on me
and smile, smile more, inviting me to dinner and share a cigarette.

6.

I slept on couches
of dying actresses
while we read scripts scored in such fine detail.

7.

I met with playwrights as my elders
who then turned my contemporaries
who then turned friends.

11/15/2007

Author's Note: So, really, not much of a former life. It's all true.
1. Rich Little
2. Geraldine Page
3. Will Rogers, Jr.
4. Jeremy Irons, Fiona Shaw, Rosemary Harris
5. Joni Mitchell, Nicole Croisille
6. Uta Hagen
7. Marsha Norman, Emily Mann

Posted on 11/15/2007
Copyright © 2025 David Garner