The bright lights illuminate the insides of my eyes
Bright red
The color of life
I watch the vessels pulse
Hear the thunder of blood in my ears

And then
I open my eyes

And the lights nearly blind me
But I do not see them

Nor do I see the thousands of gleaming faces
Staring at me with wide, raptured eyes

And it is someone else’s pulse fluttering in my veins
Some else’s blood giving me life

And yet
It is me

I pour my foreign soul into my speech
My actions
My posture
And the red liquid fire in me never dies

I tell the story
My story
The greatest story every told

I feel emotions
More deeply than I have ever felt
As they crash through me

And then I close my eyes
And the red of my eyelids shifts
Changes texture and flavor

And when I open my eyes
It is me
A different me

And I see the blaring lights
And the gleaming faces
Filling every seat

And I hear
The stunned
Silence

Then
One person starts to clap
Then another
And another
Until I am nearly deafened

And I smile
And feel my face glow

And I thank
And congratulate
My other self