The Byline

So prestigious is the byline,
Our achievement’s humble home.
Where letters connect; unknown formations
Catch eyes of those who roam.

Taken into precaution
Is our name up on display.
For, if we go inconspicuous
Lost words will go dismay.

As nonchalant as possible,
Observant fingers may reveal
A writer’s true identity
Now, how do you think it would feel?

If you fervently depleted the ink in your pen
Slowly, but not in vain.
You saw your masterpiece take its form...
But wait — where is your name?

For a fleeting second,
“Genius burns” and a story unfolds quickly.
In hindsight, that reverie beams success...
If my name had not quit me.

Maybe you would empathize
If the stakes held high a prize.
By incentive, you are hypnotized...
Alas, those words are in disguise.

Now honor the byline, and just imagine
The blood, sweat, and tears within her.
Because for the author, just a small acclaim,
The byline is their signature.