Take a Chance on Me

she wasn’t star material, at least to look at,

and the judges knew it from just a moment,

until she opened her mouth and out flowed

Southern honey in her voice and echoes

of summer nights with fireflies lazily flying.

without realizing they did it,

the judges leaned forward,

eager for something new.

with the strains of a Dolly Parton ballad,

she tossed her own blonde locks and

shook the auditorium with a few notes

that built into a crescendo of sound

that might have made God cry.

captivating was one word

that came to mind once

her song came to an end.

it wasn’t a choice, not really, to send her

to the next round of competition, and

she was so gleeful that she cried

happy tears as she thanked them

again and again and again.

maybe she was a super star,

but first she was just a girl

who could sing her heart out.