Chin up, eyes ahead, and shoulders back
It's a more forgiving stance for when the serpents slither into attack
Just smile and wave, let them see there's no luster you lack
What is the world in the mood for today?
I can be an angel on a pedestal, put on a halo for display
Or I can shape shift into thunder and make the skies gray
Fix me until I'm perfect, until I have no flaws
Shove me under exposing lights, I can put on a show for applause
Fill my gashes and bound my wounds with the most temporary of gauze
Transform into the silhouette of whatever goddess is trending
Embody her traits so well you'd never know I was pretending
Make my light shine so bright, my crafted perfectionism almost comes off as condescending
Then when the crowd inevitably changes their mind
I'm following quickly, only one or two steps behind
So I can morph into the newest creature of the most desired design
They say make me laugh but don't be the loudest in the room
Don't be too nice, but please don't let your temper cause you to fume -
Didn't your mother teach you all this in the womb?
What if I've made myself only a mirror of your own reflection?
Twisted to fit your ideal image in order to win your affection
If I plotted and schemed until I fabricated the details of this delicate connection
Wrote the plot so I came off innocent, but had a plan all along
Made myself appear weak to make the faulty feel strong
Over and over again until I've gained obsessive adoration to every lyric of my song
What is beauty if not a beast?
A monster yearning for more food at the feast
Whispering secrets in your ear until your will is released
Did they tell you how special you really are?
How the light of your lamp flickers with the glow of a superstar?
While they sit around and split jokes around a shared cigar
Have emotion and tack it onto your sleeve, but please don't be so fragile
You can be adventurous but only if you do so riding sidesaddle
Tell me where my glow has dimmed so I can wipe it clean and make it dazzle
They say be what I want tonight, but leave quietly tomorrow
The vulture only wants your allure for an evening's borrow
Do us a a favor and disassociate yourself with the aftermath of sorrow
This beast will take all of you if you give it the power
Steal and steal until your soul is devoured,
Until it's only bones you're left with that you haven't fed in hours and hours
What if I mutate into the creature I am inside
If I bury the Dr. Jekyll to my Mr. Hyde?
And I become a small comfort in a world where authenticity has died
What if I have words to say that mend a heart?
Or laughter to spread, wisdom to impart?
If even one human resonates with these made up verses I call art?
What if I offer a hand faith in a world gone black?
Give someone relief from the burdens that continue to stack
Fight for what's right because I've always got your back
What if my clear skies often turn into storms?
If I come off cold in defense mode before I remember it's okay to be warm
If I have a million versions of myself I let constantly perform?
If I'm layered so deeply, it can feel like crippling isolation
If I can happily adjust to any crowd, any situation
If I'm loud and opinionated and often forget consideration
What if I feel with everything I have or not at all?
If at times I get frustrated by brains that think the world so small
If I can never leave well enough alone, my horse always last to leave the stall
If beauty is a beast then I'll grow out my mane and form claws
Let this rehearsed perfection fall like clothes to the floor, replaced by my running list of flaws
And remain steady in place until the beast withdraws
Cast me to an island, I've already always been there
Where I feed off of unwavering hope and the yearn to verbalize life's inexplicable despair
Where I sleep soundly next to the ghosts of who I've been, breathing in the fresh air