Two 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