my heartbeat keeps racing up

a little faster than I intend it to;

my face is flushed

as if with a fever I can’t erase.

my voice squeaks –

damn! I’m off the note!

and my hands shake because I don’t know if I can do this.

and this is why

the girl who is so confident in all other aspects,

the girl who exudes an almost-arrogance

to put others to shame,

hates microphones.