to the very last verse.

my hands were shaking

I could barely stand still

my heart went wild

I looked up and stared at them

I was about to open my mouth

to let those words bathe in my voice

I cleared my throat

and hoped I'd make it

to the very end

to the very last verse

I put voice to that poem

my hands could barely hold that script

my voice broke halfway

the audience thought that was it

so did I

but I stood still

put voice to that woman's pain

just for her

and when I looked up

everyone in that room

broke down and would not stop crying

my voice made them cry

and I burst into tears;

all of us were a mess

just for her,

just for her pain.