I think it’s bad
To be famous
Because influence
Always seems saddest
If everyone knows
Who the face is
And only
A story that sells

But not that truth
By description
Of brilliant turns
Sharing spotlights
Where cameras burn
Bitter smiles
Over unknown frowns
Just beneath

As childhood dreams
Pay in cash
Through empty realms
Feeling flattered
Like earning checks
Feigning memories
For this present
Barely expressed

While experienced
Numb from success
Though passively lost
When admitted
Making vapid scenes
Trading stories
During talk shows
Hiding defeat

Since abuses
Never come close
Needing substance
Other than liquor
Always seeking thrills
Merely human
Many bragging souls
Cannot grasp

Leaving theaters
Dead before long
With compared applause
After pictures
Making legacy
Seem so unneeded
Pitting honest life
Against film.

• J. Pigno