Andrew Aitken-Fincham – (Year 13, St Andrew's College, Christchurch)
Madeline
She shows me her brand new skirt
Sie zeigt mir ihren neuen Rock
She loves the colour of the theatre lights
She loves to practise her lines
Alone
With plastic actors and dollar bills
The blondest brunette
She rolls up every breath
As if it wasn't safe
To breathe
The more she practises, the worse she gets
At breathing
Every night she stands and delivers
Words being chipped from her mind
And spat out
Convulsing
She wonders whose weight she's carrying
She feels like her feet are spinning
In a different direction to her head
She sees more when she closes her eyes
Sees music
Her words can't describe
Colours
She dreams of a dainty curtsey
To an audience more than lights
Instead
A disjointed dance
And line after line
She falls
She loves the colour of the theatre lights
