Two Mimes performing on the street, but are they truly Mimes? |
Two Mimes On the street in the middle of a crowd, stand two Mimes Dressed for the show, they’re a moment out of time The people gather round, anticipate the coming show A lot is going to happen that most will never know They start by pantomiming, a simple family scene One we’ve all experienced, but have we really seen? The mother making dinner, the father standing by While she grills the burgers, he prepares the fries Now, they mimic a child being put to sleep The mother gazes at her child, and slowly starts to weep The father takes her hand and leads her from the room Both of them knowing, there’s a new one in her womb The show continues on, it seems the years have passed Now the parents are quite old, how the time’s gone fast Their children seem to come and go, unseen by the crowd Though you’d expect to hear a sound, nothing's heard out loud What you see is what you get, with Mimes it’s all a show These two Mimes know, that what you reap, is what you sow But they are all too human, and hide behind their masks Each is glad to do this show, to them it’s not a task Then suddenly, the father Mime grabs his chest as if in pain He slowly slumps to the ground, does not get up again The mother Mime leans over him, as if to render aid One could barely hear, the small sounds that she made No one in the crowd knew the secret of these two They had been born deaf, couldn’t speak like me and you They had spent their lives acting, but then again, maybe not As silent Mimes they were naturals, and this became their lot The crowd is still and quiet, as if honoring the fallen Mime They pay their dues in silence, not knowing at this time That this was not in the script, the chest pain was no act On the street, the father Mime has died, of a massive heart attack Jim Dorrell 3/23/07 |