Halcyon

behind the curtain

You think you know what I am—
That I shine in my glistening zenith,
a beacon of metiers, glossy happiness,
thriving at the peak of plausibility.

But beneath the ruddy ghost of lipstick,
and the sequined, starry, starlit gaze—
here lies my naked truth, babe,
the one you may never bear to face.

The brighter the footlights burn,
the deeper my shadows fall.
The stiffer the smile I wear,
the heavier my heart becomes.
The grander the legend I weave,
the frailer the person inside.
The louder the cheers rise,
the emptier the room feels after.
The wider the gulf of applause,
the closer the mirror's cruel truth.
The more the world gives me,
the less my soul remains.

For the higher the starlet soars,
the swifter gravity claims her.

But you'd never know.
You're part of the show.