On Stage...

The curtain will be going up any moment,
Her smile is already in place,
She's been practicing in front of the mirror,
So she will look natural on stage.
She remembers when she was a small girl of ten,
She wanted to go and play,
"Practice makes Perfect"; "You can do better!",
Her mother would always say.
Guitar lessons--tears in her eyes--
Memories to hard to recall--
She cried and begged Mom to not make her go back,
Abuse left her frightened and raw.
Kids at school; poking fun;
Laughing and calling her names;
Playing air guitars and mocking her voice,
So young to feel such shame.
Teenage years, dating not allowed;
More shows on the weekend to do;
Church on Sunday; she was so tired;
Was up night before until two...
Vacation, camping, she met some friends,
She did not want to sing;
Threats of hair-pulling-her-up on stage,
Mom got her back on track again.
Every summer, she had to work,
Out-of-town singing in pubs;
There was this friend of family friends,
He was so much older than her...
Once again, she wanted to be,
Just one of the crowd for a change,
Someone else, always in control,
There was money being made.
No one noticed; she was drinking;
No one even cared,
Dropped off in Texas at a bar,
Seventeen, on her on, and scared.
On stage she became, as she had been made,
Inside she was lost and confused,
Alcohol her only friend,
But soon came drug abuse...
Recording contracts, managers,
Agents, Producers, and Mom;
Drugs and alcohol consumed her,
So much to escape from.
Looking back she wonders,
Is she still living life on stage?
Waiting for curtains to rise and fall,
Is her life just a Play?
No time to think; no more drugs or drink;
But she still manages to smile,
Others are waiting to rip her apart,
She needs to be back-stage a while...
The curtain will rise, the curtain will fall,
She has turned the page,
Finding peace, in doing God's will,
She finds she's still on stage.
tlcoriginals...