Thumbs Down

I wring my hands, I cannot clap

The play on stage so drab and dark

Between the plot points yawning gap

Strangled scenes that rarely spark

The play on stage so drab and dark

Temptation to avert the eye

Strangled scenes that rarely spark

I try to laugh, I want to cry

Temptation to avert the eye

Wait for intermission’s break

I try to laugh, I want to cry

Unsettling sense the tale is fake

Wait for intermission’s break

Between the plot points yawning gap

Unsettling sense the tale is fate

I wring my hands, I cannot clap

Paula Rudnick is a former television writer and producer who has worked the past 30 years as a volunteer for nonprofit organizations.