Petrified

She was working alone,
and visibly weakening
with every line.
Before the end of the first act
the audience could tell
as well as the Players
that she’d lost her grip,
and soon
they were all embarrassed
for her.
She had begun
to alternate between
false theatrical gestures
and a white-knuckled immobility;
she was carrying her shoulders
high and square,
and despite her heavy make-up
you could see the warmth
of humiliation rising
in her face
and neck.