Illuminated by artificial light
All eyes are on me
Watching, waiting
Noticing the slightest quiver in my lip
The shake in my hands
A puppet to the melody
I’m lost
Deep within myself
Tearing my heart from my chest
Watching with a smile on their face
Their eyes consume me, raw and bloody
Finding the beauty within my pain
Glitter cakes my face
Hiding who I am
Underneath the blinding mask
Allowing me the freedom
If only for a minute
Trapped within me
Ugly and wretched
It pours from my veins
Drowning out the silence
My lips ache from the pitiful smile
Plastered upon my face
Shining in the spotlight
They clap only when I have gone
When the red curtain falls
And the seats fill with emptiness
Walking away from my heart
Bruised and bleeding
Lying before their feet
Written by Grace Bugin