Contemplation of an Empty House

There are wombs around the world that are my home

But here my heart first fluttered into life

I creep inside as Sunday sinners do

Recovering voice

Uncovering soul

Through ghosts that enter in

And dreams we spin

The first of many Edens

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

I spoke my destination

As a much-loved incantation

Five years of Saturdays

Let me in

Let me breathe

Let me become

This is my tribe

You the mother of my soul

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

Only ten, I trod your boards

With a fever

Never faltered

My blue ribbon tied

Makeup applied

The show must go on

Break a leg, break 'em both

Atta girl

I earned a silver bracelet with a star

The night I flew to Neverland

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

A wrinkle in time brings back

The best of yesterdays

The heady scent of sawdust

Words rehearsed and spoken

Praise received

Lifelong friendships forged

Within this sanctuary

We shimmer and glow

Like glistening waters of Jah

Invisible in daylight

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

Today you are dark

But for the bare bulb

Hanging like the Star of Bethlehem

Above the stage

Your seats are empty

Your curtain tucked away

And yet you hum

Vibrations of a thousand feet

And voices raised in song

The shades of children haunt your wings

Waiting to take shape

As the curtain rises

Until the curtain falls

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

Your magic transforms us

Each time we enter in

Actors and audience

Locked in a sacred space

Searching for truth

Finding it within

The stuff of dreams

The stuff of dreams

And nightmares, too

All spirits welcome

Come inside

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

"rebeccamckenna"

The McKenna Theatre at the State University of New York at New Paltz hosted a unique program for children in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Drama majors earned college credits teaching kids acting and stagecraft and directing their plays. I was one of those kids. Many of us are still in touch 50 years later. What we learned there has enriched our lives immeasurably. Named after Dr. Rebecca McKenna, professor and founder of the college's drama program, the McKenna Theatre is still used today.