Ready. Set. Action.
the pictures are moving
I take score of the score as it rises
a crescendo towards a bird’s eye view
I am searching for beauty
a familiar face, a re-write
jumping eras and worlds
living short love stories
(I always end up laughing)
tell the cinematographer
I need dimmer lights on my sun
tell the sound guy
I need the microphone away
tell the director
I need another costume change
(I can’t keep doing this)
my favorite is a hit, a blockbuster,
a crowd favorite, not mine to keep
it felt safer in the first screening,
safer before the cuts,
safer before we tried to make it perfect,
safer laced in film between my fingers,
safer before we outgrew us
we have always known that
we were meant for bigger screens,
a more enthusiastic audience,
larger hands capable of
all the scenes we could hold on to,
all the scenes we wish we redid
(We can’t afford another budget cut.
Call me when there’s an opening for your next act
for the part I initially signed up for.)
I pause and rewind
steal stills of your eyes, the foreground,
your smile, the background,
a flower in your hand, the ground,
the sky, bad retakes underground
don’t burn the tapes,
a masterpiece is never finished
they’ll never see it like we did
doing wrong for the plot
doing right for the reviews
lining up five stars to lead to the
ending I wanted for us
(I add a heart for the good joke)
does it have to be good?
is it not enough that it felt real?
call the Academy.
we always end up acting.
can I at least get an award for trying?
Here is a playlist from songs from my favoirte films.
Written in haste, searching for my next favorite film,
From the 2023 archives,
Eula xx