Poetry : Wed 16 Aug
Today's a stressed day - or at least a day of mental energy, rather than soul energy around here. Phil, the fresh orange juice stall guy has a cold - ironic, considering the amount of Vitamin C he's surrounded by. Talking to him about it, I find out something about him I didn't know which inspired this poem -
Everywhere he goes.
Not a nice hot water bottle
To warm his icy toes
Or his extra loud alarm clock
To break his deep repose
But his favourite dream-filled pillow,
Familiar sleep-soaked pillow
Plain old cherished pillow
With its comforting smell of home
Within the dome, the mental energy was concentrated around one table, at which a family of four was trying to decide their programme for the day.
Huddled over a table,
Peering at a map,
Fumbling through a brochure
Held upon her lap,
With so much here to choose from,
How will they make their choice?
A democratic system?
Will each one have a voice?
Will they each see different shows
Or will it be a binge?
Decisions - decisions -
They're all part of the Fringe.
As the second week of the fringe unfolds, judging by some of the
conversations overheard in the bar, many performers are reaching a peak of nervous energy - and this is an imagined conversation of what someone could be thinking ...
'Did you read that review?
'Four stars? The B******s ...
When five stars are too few!'
'I'm sick of acting.
With dancing I am THROUGH.
I'm not a singer -
But I know what I'll do -
Train as a critic,
See lots of shows for free.
Make my opinions
Count as to what shows get
Five stars, four or three.'
But then there's always the creative hub of the Pleasance Dome to retreat to - and a Poetry Competition to enter. Yesterday's topic of the day was 'Chocolate' and the winning entry was this one, in which Danya sought a creative means to offload some of the stresses of performing at the Fringe.
Take * One Show Day *
- Wake it up at 8 am and cram with a quick coffee and donut before rushing it out to the Royal Mile.
- Load with Flyers and set it out on display.
- Season bitterly with harrassed tourists and crabby insults until spirit is entirely deflated
- Intermittently sprinkle with random showers and scorch with fickle sunlight
- Remove from Royal Mile, dress in costume and paint liberally with make up
- Set loose on stage and bake under hot lights and no ventilation for one hour
- Add laughter or heckling as needed
- Rush from the stage and back to the flat
- Now add a big slab of rich dark chocolate to melt away the day's built-up stress
- Relax, smile, enjoy the chocolate and do it all over again. It's Fringe Time!
Danya