Free Entry 3, Week 1

Action

He sat behind the camera,
to its side, whispering
intently to its operator
and pressing against his steady hands.
"Action," he shouts, galvanizing
the limp puppets in front of him
to act out their scene.
As they bend--45 degrees,
not 90 as Roberto Benigni suggested--
he turns to me and whispers again,
"I always wanted to say that."
Did you? I wonder without speaking,
watching as he jumps
like a child anticipating candy.
Up and down, side to side,
quickly and without a breath.
So often has he told me
that he always wanted to say that.
So why not simply say it?
Why not say the phrase
that everyone always wants to say?
What does everyone always want to say?
Is it "Action"?
So say "Action"
or even "action."
What he really means
is that he always wanted to say
that and have it mean something;
say it as an order and have it obeyed.
Is that what everyone wants
when they always want to say "Action"?