Open mic 

A barnyard of animals. A bus load of junior higher. Men at the bar. What’s the topic? Is it defining the pecking order? Is it a high school prom?

Open mic presents… 

    The comic- hoping the jokes will land well. That timing perfect. That the audience will laugh at the right times and end before the story continues.

    What happened last night. Everyone knows but the audience. How much truth is in that story. The storyteller has the peers in the bus gathered close wanting attention and praise. Will he tear another down or elevate himself? 

    The more they drink, the more elaborate the details. The sadder the circumstances and more sobering is necessary. Work is horrible. Wives are blabbermouths and spendthrifts. The car repair guy is ripping you off and the world - well the world, politics, etc. You know. 

    Topics? A catch phrase. A hook. Every good story teller needs to hook their audience. Why, didn’t your curiosity peak when reading this title? 

    Open mic. The barnyard animals. Roosters strutting. Hens looking for something to cluck about. The pig, content to leave things as they are. Random birds gathering and leaving. The farmer comes and tries to make the best of it all. Organizes. 

    But what is the open mic really? An exhale of the day, the week? A chance to say something without fear that needs said. Said in a subtle message that authors and writers catch. The mic is too short, too tall, too soft, there’s feedback. The speaker is disheveled and loses their power. Audience grabs their drink or takes another bite. Waitresses interrupt the concentration. 

Drop the mic.