You done good
They tell the little girl as she walks off the stage
The stage in the sight of thousands
The spotlight shining down on her
The little girl, not knowing much better, smiles
Her pride swells and her heart fills, waiting for the next time
The next time she walks on the stage
They give her a brief nod
Perhaps a curt smile before walking away
No acknowledgement for her
No sirree
She hadn’t done good this time
If only she was better
The next time she walks on that bloody old stage
With trembling hands and a crumbling mind
When she scrambles and calls out for help
They all look away
Remember when she was a brilliant little girl
They mutter amongst themselves
She had done good way back when
I just don’t know what happened to her
They would say in the bleak shadows
Years later
On the street of the stage
Every few unfortunate days
Her time on that stage would come back to haunt her once more
Weren’t you that brilliant young girl they would say
You always done good
Whatever happened to you
They would ask her
And she would just sigh and walk away