House Lights

You like me better with the horns behind me whole room up, everybody watching Perfect entrance perfect timing Funny what passes for knowing somebody I know how to make an evening look effortless walk in clean when the week was a wreck Hit every mark never miss the effect Give you something worth remembering then disappear before the questions get specific That's the trick, isn't it? Keep the blood off the costume keep the seams out of sight Everybody loves a miracle long as it happens on time When the house lights come up what do you see? Same face less scenery No brass no smoke no beautiful distraction Do you still want the person after the reaction? I've heard “you're incredible” more times than “are you alright?” One sounds better in a caption guess which one survives the night You know my highlights my punchlines my cleanest twenty seconds You know exactly when to cheer but somehow never learned what happens after No, keep clapping. I'm almost finished. Give them spectacle give them polish give them something they can repost Give them pain but make it pretty never make the room uncomfortable That's the contract nobody wrote but everybody somehow follows Bleed artistically Smile for the photo And if you're falling apart— could you maybe do it where it won't affect the show? Here's the ugly part: I like the applause. I do. I like being good at this. I like watching a room turn. I like knowing I can make something happen. That's not the wound. The wound is wondering if you'd still come looking when there's nothing left to be impressed by. So when the house lights come up and the magic looks cheaper when the sweat dries cold and the silence gets deeper don't tell me I was brilliant Tell me something you noticed that wasn't meant for the audience Tell me where I hesitated Tell me what made me laugh when nobody else heard it Tell me you saw a person not just proof that the person could perform When the house lights come up what do you see? Same face less scenery No choir no brass no beautiful distraction Would you still know my name without the reaction? Encore? Maybe. Depends who's asking. You wanted the show. I'm asking about after.