That little voice in me lives for the stage lights The glow, the echo, the waiting silence it gathers all the energy of the scene But once it steps there, it will close its eyes Blinded by the lights it longed for, frightened by the gazes it dreamed of The pulse races No confidence, no foundation, like a house without ground beneath it Instead of stone, there is living mud It pulls and drowns, whispering words of doubt that do not let me fight back The hand trembles, the voice is gone, the chest tightens I will step down as if I never dreamed of standing there Everything falls into water, lost I feared myself, forced myself to promise a voice Now, I choose fear over regret Within four walls I will remain creating, shaping, free There, no laughter will touch me, no gaze will burn Alone, I will stay as long as time allows I will not see the lights, nor the stage, nor the world Only a shadow will remain