I am the supporting artiste
I don’t get my name in lights
Or even in the credits.
I was a player
In ten thousand stories
Syndicated franchises.
To repetitive sequels.
Some award-winning
Stand-alone pieces.
Coveted /high-brow
Critically panned
These intertwined portmanteaus
Of faces in the street
These long-forgotten remakes
That mesh connected lives.
I was there.
On equity rates.
The mise-en-scene
Take-after-take-after-take.
The supporting role.
These box office flops.
These Palme D’ors.
There, in other people’s denouements.
But never a star in my own.
Just a supporting artiste.
Check out more of my poetry elsewhere on the blog and let me know what you think in the comments.
Image by Robert Lischka from Pixabay
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Insightful…we never really acknowledge or give any importance to the supporting artists who are quite an indispensable part of every production.
They’re an indispensable part of life. So many bit players, not enough credit given!
If I’m understanding your poem right, I relate. I used to always feel like I was just a tag-along or accent to other people’s lives. I never really had my own story. That’s beginning to change but gods is it slow.
Yes. That’s spot. We’re all bit parts in lots of different stories.
You have your own story arc, it just might not be as dramatic as others but it doesn’t make it any less valid.