The crimson curtain climbs.
Everyone stares.
Expectations shatter the silence.
Pressure mounts.
I know what I must do.
I have a script.
It must be followed.
It is what they want.
It is what I must do.
I crave tears,
But I must wear a smile.
It is written in the script.
Smile, it pleads –
Commands.
The brown skirt, the director dictates.
That’s what he wants.
I am expected to follow.
I like the yellow one better.
But I’ll pretend otherwise.
I hope they don’t notice my moment of
Weakness.
Escaping the role-
Impossible feat.
Risky –
Too risky.
Shunned –
The obvious outcome.
So here I’ll stand frozen:
My bones aching for growth,
Tentacles of self irking for change,
Blood boiling for new vision.
My fears show my consequences,
The consequences outweigh the rewards.
I am an actor on a stage
Wanting so much more for myself
But stuck on this dusty wood floor
Waiting for my curtain to go down.