We brave souls.
For a few minutes we slip off the masks and unbuckle the armor. We step out and onto the illuminated stage, giving voice to our words. Purposeful, brave and bold, we tell our truths while above us paper lanterns dance to our pulsing vibrato. The sound of language gives texture and richness to our written stories now shared with eager ears in a tiny auditorium at Writers and Books during the 2017 Rochester Fringe Festival.
A single voice rising, lilting, rushing, and then delivering silence so the audience can feel our brave moment. This intimacy of here and now demands a synchrony of attention that written words cannot duplicate.
As I read my story Tangled In Leather the words made me relive the heartbreak and hope I felt battling infertility – my nose fizzed, my eyes filled with tears. As I listened to each of my fellow cast mates and Listen to Your Mother (LTYM) alums read her own story, I circled from laughter to tears, from joy to sadness, and saw resilience shine again and again:
Alone in her room (Robin L. Flanigan)
The 10 Things That Will Likely Keep Me From Winning “Mother of the Year” (Xavia Omega)
Sacred Assembly (Maria DiTullio)
Glass Slippers (Christine Lasher)
Laid to Rest (Stacey Freed)
Mom’s Oxtails (Raquel Walker)
Mother, Technology and Me (Mary Finucane)
We brave souls came together to share our unique experiences about motherhood and left with gifts of understanding, respect, and connection.
I take comfort in knowing I am not alone in my journey as a mother, a woman, a human being. I know what it’s like to be vulnerable, real and raw. Sometimes it’s a little scary to walk the line; to be uncomfortable with uncertainty. I believe we are born to live and feel every moment.
We are brave.
What do you think?
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