Speed dating
are mini stages
and watch closely
for the plot.
The actors
scramble between lines
to show each rise of hope
and fall of yearning.
Deceit tucks behind
the curtain words
while hero bravado glistens
in each three minute story
Truth and lies
rock back and forth
with each wobble of the tables.
In the end,
a climatic scribble
pulls the cast completely center stage
for the applause of an act
which has the audience
working arm in arm.
Poetic Trials 