Spotlight (Albinism)

by Erin Schalk

Image credit: Fabian Centeno on Unsplash

My voice

resounds

swells through a stadium,

wafts through the cabaret

like fragrance.

My eyes, flooded

with white-out glare,

sharpened sunlight ricochets

from asphalt, my chrome

microphone becomes

a white cane.

My appearance, too

unconventional.

conceal your differences -

they said - but,

you won’t have a typical

singing career.

But, my white hair

becomes silk-spun threads,

my eyelashes are

moonlight crescents.

I am a singer:

a spotlight surrounds,

radiates from,

me.

***

Erin Schalk

Erin Schalk is a writer, visual artist, and educator, based in Orange County, California. Publications include: The Petigru Review, Willawaw Journal, Parentheses Journal, and others. Schalk serves as a writer and reviewer for Aji Magazine. She is the author of (quiet, space), a reflective journal that combines her visual art and poetry.