Courtney

A few evenings ago
As I sat in a near-empty train
A song emerged from my earbuds I hadn’t heard in years
I sighed into the deep familiarity and the bittersweet longing of it
And as the song continued, the emotion the word “How” sang with
Jolted me back into remembering my roots
Remembering how I swayed along in class as I listened to it sung
The same way I swayed along in the Belasco lobby as I heard my favorite chords strike
Back then I felt her feeling as much as my own
She was very open with her heartbreak and I admire her so greatly for that
And all at once it seems so strange
That someone so simultaneously strong and vulnerable
Decided, unlike me, she has no interest in continuing on as a Theatre person
And although I don’t believe in “should”s in regards to choosing one’s destiny
I believe she would be one of the legends had she kept with it
And she’s a legend on her own as she is in her own fate
But I hope she realizes how much I admire her
And even though there was a time we were expected to see one another as competition
I admire her more than sycophantic words could ever aptly express
From the moment we connected in ‘Carousel’ and that heart of hers was worn on her wrist
I’ve felt like that openness is what I strive to achieve
And I hope she knows that
I hope she knows that