Shh… Lights are waking up. Count the steps. Smile on cue. Zip it up, button the truth. Tonight we’re beautiful— no questions asked. I taste the flash like lightning on my tongue, Hold my breath—don’t blink—don’t look too long. If you see me, do you see me, Or the shape of what you want? Don’t touch the mirror. Don’t say our names. Don’t make it real. Not tonight… not tonight… Blackout— Hands up, hearts out, lights down. Blackout— We disappear when the bass pounds. Blackout— Halo burns, shadow crowns. If you love us… don’t look down. I learned to walk in borrowed skin, I learned to sing and not give in. When the world says “show us everything,” I give them glitter— and keep the rest within. One, two, three— open the curtain— turn the key— BLACK—
