Have a seat in the audience tonight
beneath the black, moonless sky
our stage illuminated, only,
by the brilliance of your eyes

Have a seat in the audience tonight
and watch the acrobats
tread the tightrope
of the-thing-they-think-they-can’t-do

See the hoops of each thing you’re avoiding
be set ablaze,
flames hungry and glittering in the gloom
as the roaring lion
leaps through them

Hold your breath,
as the bearded lady decides
she is more marvelous without the smooth chin
she always wanted,
and listen,
as the crowd cheers on

Watch the world’s strongest man
sit down to share
his greatest weakness
as he lifts his grand arms to dismantle
all that haunts him
late at night,
when he’s alone

Grip the edge of your chair
as the jugglers
shuffle their daggers,
knives piercing the light around them,
each blade, a different failure,
tips glinting with defeat
and yet
not one
will make them bleed

The trapeze artist falls,
their eyes closed,
arms outstretched and trusting
they’ll find a bar to hold

The man in the canon
ignites his own fuse,
the sinking in his gut
eclipsed by his dream
of soaring through the sky.

And the drinks tonight are glowing with courage,
warm on your lips
without a drop of alcohol.
We’ve spun the cotton candy
from all your worries
mixed with air,
so you can feel them
melt to nothingness
on your tongue

Have a seat in the audience tonight,
and witness every single thing
you have ever been too afraid to do
be done,
and watch
everyone and everything
come out the other side
alive