Take the Stage

I chased you on to the stage
A black expanse illuminated
By the eyes of an audience's attention
I, being your first fan, sat front row, center
Reminding you that every laugh or tear
You drew out from that well of notoriety
Could not quench your thirst to belong   be accepted   be
I was the fourth wall you could not break
Invisible but always between you, your performance, and everyone else
I the reason you could not accept compliments
With any more than a haughty "I know" that chilled
The warm heart of appreciation and promise
I stood by as you deluded yourself that you
Had cast out lines and pulled in family
Stood still as lights grew dim, curtains fell
and there was no more reason to hold the line
The catch always out of reach
I encouraged you to lose yourself in a role
To become that character
That character being one others could love
I watched as you lost sight of yourself
As a sailor loses sight of the shore
Until you could not See
The definition of your own topography
Against the swallowing abyss of sky
I was ageless and changeless as you shifted yourself like seasons
Only to fall like leaves   crumble under foot
Buried under a blank cool blanket of snow
And when spring returns and scraps of your trash
Peak through the pristine   see yourself as a blight
Inspiring flight