Actor
I am just like you, but you will never know.
For you see, I am a brilliant actor.
I play my part and am never out of character.
At least, until I leave the stage that is my social life.
That comes later, for now, the show has just begun.
The curtain rises, the spotlight shines,
There I stand, perfectly in character.
Bright smile, giddy laugh, cheerful voice,
Silly, ditzy, sweet, kind –
That is my character.
The audience thinks, “What a happy child!”
They laugh with me, they smile too.
I can brighten any day.
When the spotlight fades, and the curtain closes,
I take my bow, and someone hands me a rose.
Then I exit, clutching my prize with care
In the darkness that is the backstage,
The child grows into the adult I really am.
The young woman who no longer has to hide her pain,
Who knows grief and loss,
Who always feels alone, even in a crowd.
As the harsh voices of the critics ring in my ears,
I close my eyes,
And try to remember the love of the spotlight.
All the while clutching my prize to my heart –
A single tear slides down my pale cheek.
For, you see, even the finest rose has thorns.
Tomorrow the show will open again, as it always will.
I will play my part again tomorrow,
And the day after.
Until I take my final bow, and with it my final breath.
Then, the show will close.
My character will be forgotten.
But for now, the show must go on
Each day, a new audience will think,
“What a happy child!”
They will never see that child grow into the sad young woman.
They will never know what happens in the darkness that is the backstage,
For I am a brilliant actor.
