Lights.

The actress makes it seem so easy

when she whisks all of her belongings away

as if they were as light as her golden hair

that flows down over her shoulders.

She only stops

to throw a wistful glance back up her street

to the place she calls home.

Camera.

The actress makes it look so stunning

when she is helped out from her taxi,

her heels greeting the pavement with a soft click.

The bright lights of New York City

are the first things to kiss her round cheeks,

staining them fluorescent.

Action.

The actress will become a star,

born in a small town

and changed by a big city.

A household name

of a girl who became famous

after leaving her home.

Lights.

The screen goes dark.

I am standing under the lamp

that marks the end of my street

for what feels like years.

I'm looking at the broken home

that had somehow built me.

My fear sparks through my bones

and shakes me to my core

nearly convincing me to return home.

Camera.

I stumble out of a dirty bus and

into the dark corners of some city,

my face red and swollen

with the weight of many sunken tears.

I find myself missing home,

but I know that there is no use returning

because home does not miss me.

My suitcase

tugs my shoulders.

Action.

I will become an actress of my own,

born of a broken home

and chasing the hope for a better one.

A household name

made famous by the

red newspaper headlines

stained with tears so the words are barely made visible,

MISSING.