Protagonist

By Hannah Heilman

Protagonist

He snickers when he sees you —

The dance in his wild eyes,

Flash of his rotted teeth —

You excite him.

How does that make you feel?

He prepares for the circus,

The spectacle, the performance —

The pop of the cork,

Pouring of the liquor —

Gulping of the poison,

Fueling of the addiction.

Give it a minute,

And soon he’s in character,

Ready to perform —

Soon he’s swaying,

And giggling,

And smelling real bad —

Soon he’s swinging,

And yelling,

And beating real bad.

The performance always goes over-time,

Never has an intermission —

You long to get out of your seat,

To exit the theatre.

This performance isn’t your cup of tea.

But you’re stuck there,

And the protagonist calls to you,

Gives you all the attention —

The man with a wild dance behind his eyes,

A wicked flash in his rotted teeth,

And that snicker when he sees you.

You excite him.

How does that make you feel?

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Hannah Heilman is a sophomore strategic communication and creative writing double major. She enjoys yoga, coffee, and spending time with friends. She is one of this year’s co-editors of Caesura. Hannah plans to work in public relations and social media; she also hopes to become a poet and YA author.