Curtains parted to empty rows
Actors exhaled anyway
Scripts spoke to dust motes
Spotlights warmed silence
Feet traced sacred arcs
Emotion honored itself
Stage remembered footsteps
Boards kept promises
Outside traffic roared unaware
Fate stayed indifferent
Art did not beg witness
Grace refused bargain
Final bow met quiet
Beauty held its own weight
Purpose never asked crowd
Truth applauded from within