Vero Verse Break A Leg


Break a Leg
“(good luck?)”

To ensure bad luck doesn’t come in an actor’s way
The expression “break a leg” is the one to say
This sounds ridiculous and the opposite of what is meant
One would think indisposition is what this phrase augments
Ever wonder how this theatrical expression came to be
Stranger than naming a bottle opener with the words church key

I became a sleuth
To uncover the truth

Here’s how “Break a Leg” became “Good Luck”

Early on understudies waited in the wings behind an unbroken line
Praying that the actor on the stage would suddenly become un-fine
When called to be onstage, they stepped over the linear separation
At last, perhaps they’d fulfill their hoped-for expectation

Getting their leg to break the line became
The way to wish good luck, despite its being lame
This tale reveals how break a leg is the way to bless
That all the actors and the play would attain success

Nancilee Wydra
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