The Price of the Performance

Beneath the lights, a body sways,
A smile that hides the darker days,
A dance, a tease, a fleeting high,
While emptiness lingers, deep inside.

They cheer and clap, they toss their bills,
But none can see the cost, the chills,
The way you’re lost in shadows deep,
A soul that once was whole, now weeps

The world demands, but never gives,
It feeds on you while you just live
A hollow puppet, strings pulled tight,
Just like the rest, lost in the night.

You wear the mask, you play the part,
But in your chest, a fractured heart.
They don’t see you, they don’t care
To them, you're just a body there.

The lights will die, the music fades,
But you’ll remain in endless maze
A fractured self, a shattered dream,
A lost soul trapped in a cruel scheme.

So dance again, and sell your soul,
Pretend it's worth the price, the toll
But deep inside, you’ll never feel the same,
Just another puppet in the game.

The dark side whispers, soft, obscene
That you’re not special anymore, just routine.
Like everyone, you play the part,
Selling your soul for a fleeting start.

You’re no different from the rest,
A product of a world obsessed,
Selling pieces of yourself for gold,
A hollow life, growing cold.