I built my worth on borrowed praise,
Measured my value in fleeting gaze.
Every nod, every cheer, every smile,
All to please and silence revile.

I danced to the tune of their approval,
A simple puppet – a paragraph in their novel.
Attached by strings, a push here, a pull there,
An extra clap from someone to spare.

But the claps would fade, the cheers ran thin,
Leaving me alone with the echoing din.
A hollow voice, a painted grin,
When did I lose the self within?

I tugged at the strings, slow but desperate,
Each knot of doubt began to exasperate.
A strong pull, a tear, then a fraying thread,
I could not be defined by the words they said.

And so I rose – unbound, unchained,
The journey rough, I deeply strained.
No whispers needed, no borrowed light,
My name my own – burning bright.