The Missing Link Poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen

I play my guitar
I sing from my heart
and people clap.

There is this short
moment, a moment
of being heard,
a moment of being
valued on the scene.

At the end of the show
people say thanks,
words of appreciation,
words that warm the heart
and elevate the mind.

It is only a brief moment,
a brief moment
of feeling different,
as someone special
among the crowd.

And after this moment,
comes the monotone
moments of feeling alone,
of being lost in the dark.