Home » Poems » Karl Marszalowicz » The Impersonator

The Impersonator

"The Impersonator"
Discovered on karaoke night 
A few friends gave him a dare
To imitate the star he thought most of 
For a hundred bucks if he cared

He got up on stage and sang with a whimper
It was his first time under pressure
To the boos and the heckles
This was not in good measure

With nothing to lose he got rid of his fright
Before he said a good night to all
He picked up the pace, to Usher he would sing 
That is if he had the gall

Getting better he was with the rhythm 
Showing people what he hadn't given them yet
A well oiled machine oh yes
He was determined to win that bet

Dancing around with dynamic class
There was no stopping him now
His associates took big drinks of the liquor
Losing all that money they were going to have a cow
 His voice box was a storage crate 
Filled with tons of jovial surprise
'Give me that money' he said
That they did with new found awe in their eyes

He was good they retorted
You should go on tour
Unless you have other talents better than this
Say a desk job somewhere, but god what a bore

He went around impressing people 
The man and the image were becoming closer
For the joy how it started
It was actually hard work to be good and not a joker

There were no problems being an entertainer
Some time went by with growing popularity
Admiration built on another person's fame
There was no problem leaching serendipity

Then one day he grew so big 
And the man himself showed up
He was about to knock him in the face 
But saw he was still just a pup

A youngster with nothing else to do 
This moment built up consternation
Stealing efforts off the artist's image
He hoped that it started out as admiration

It did though, so he punched him not
In fact he started blushing, for imitation is flattery
A major reason he picked the man in the first place
The issue resolved itself without assault or battery 

They decided to go on tour together
The differences would be minor
Covering his sick days and vacations many a time
The copy cat would not live finer

For a long time they lasted taking over for each other
The secret would go with them forever
To give them a bond of deception on the audience
Their ties no one could sever

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.