life in the theatre

we live in a movie theatre
nelly, nat and i
we have weekend picnics
underneath the popcorn sky

we live for the features
and the shorts and the newsreels
we like stories about the war
and trips to see the seals

we don't need a ticket
this is how we live and breathe
if intermission is too long
just look at nelly seethe

after every showing
we pull closed the curtain tight
we shoo all the others
and we sleep backstage all night

we dream about our theatre
the paintings on the wall
become our midnight movies
and we are in their thrall