Unexpected emphasis on weak beats
Mary
I can go to the
cast party now,
because I am one of
the gang.
I don’t need to turn
my shoulders in
and shy away from
people.
Even if I just sit
in a corner and watch
the action and absorb
the fun
I’ll still be okay,
because people look at me
differently now, not
the same
As before when they
didn’t know me,
didn’t know my
music
And just saw me as
some weirdo who never
talked or played
the game
That everyone my age
is supposed to play:
pretending and posing,
the art
Of making yourself
someone who everyone
else wants to get to know,
the way
Stacey does, like a pro,
although tonight she seemed
different, not her usual
loud self.
She even asked me
to wait up for her so we
could walk together to the
party,
Which made me look
around, like maybe
I didn’t get
the joke,
But there was no one around,
just the two of us in the hallway,
eerily quiet and still after
the show.