I Am the Actress. I Speak For the Girls.

In a faraway place that glitters and glows
All the people obsess about paychecks and clothes.
On a high hill sits the name of this town,
And into its ocean the sun will go down.
The dreamers and gypsies to this place do flock.

Safely ensconced behind a tall wall
The Actress believes she is just like us all.
She puts up on her pants one leg at a time,
Finds joy in the plain, her days are sublime.
The only thing different is at her we gawk.

But what is an Actress? What does she do?
She places her feet in another girl’s shoe,
And speaks from a script that’s been written for her.
Is it her or the story? That’s starting to blur.
The life of another, it’s her role to show.

And on certain nights when the winter wind blows
In front of a theater the red carpet rolls
And out of their limos the people all step
In gowns and tuxedos their stylists did prep.
The Actress emerges and kisses does blow.

The flashbulbs all pop as they call out her name.
Such a life she can live because of her fame.
Who are you wearing? Now give us a twirl.
The Actress is living the dream of each girl.
They can all do it, or so they’ve been told.

The theater is filled with more stars than the sky
And there on the stage is a joke making guy
The people all clap when the winner’s announced
And onto the stage, the Actress has flounced.
To gather the statue, all glimmering gold.

The crowds are all faceless in front of her eyes.
They’re staring at her because she’s so wise.
Her prize she holds tight in her manicured hands.
She knows it is time to talk to her fans.
To prove that she’s special and worth all the hype.

“Oh my! What a surprise,
I want to thank each and every one of you guys.
My agent, my family, and all of my peeps
In the depth of my heart, each of you sleeps.”

She doesn’t need notes or script on this night,
Every word that she speaks is sure to be right.
She’ll speak from the heart in words all her own,
The spotlight’s on her, she’s completely alone.
Just one thought in her pretty mind swirls.
“I am the Actress, I speak for the girls.

I speak for the girls, cause I’m smarter than most
If you met me you’d know that I don’t mean to boast.
The truth of the matter is I am unique.
And so for all girls I am going to speak.

I wouldn’t be here if I were a mom
If I’d had that baby my movies would bomb.
This statue was worth it, you can not deny.
This sort of thing wouldn’t trouble a guy.”

Then from the front row came a very small sound.
The source of the ruckus the Actress had found.
Overwhelmed by the chair sat a very small child,
And up at the Actress, the little girl smiled.
She opened her mouth and out tumbled these words.

“You say a baby’s a burden. A baby’s a choice.
What would it say if that babe had a voice?
Would it say that it’s happy? Would it say that it’s sad?
Would it say you’re the very best mom that it has had?”
Her voice was so tiny and trilled like a bird’s.

Up on to the stage the little girl climbed.
“I have more to say and I hope you don’t mind.
You say that you speak for the girls just like me,
But on that point, I must disagree.”
The Actress was thinking, “How long can this last?”

“We’re not all the same, and we have our own views.
We look at this world and see multiple hues.
You see things one way, and I see another.
You say it’s a choice and I say you’re a mother.”
At the little girl’s words, the crowd was aghast.

“The old patriarchy has clearly gotten to you,”
The Actress was sputt’ring, “You must think this through.
The rules are all made by powerful men
If we want to win, we must be more like them.
Don’t ever complain and it turns out just great.

Having it all is just a damn lie!
The women must choose and be more like a guy.
The world won’t support us all knocked-up or pregnant,
Our bellies all stretched to the shape of a crescent.
A baby takes months, we can’t ask them to wait.

What do you know? You are just a small girl.”
And with the Actress did leave with a swirl.
The crowd paused but a moment and to their feet lept.
“What a glorious speech,” every one of them wept.
The Actress was right, there was no doubt about that.

The music did swell as the band started to play,
But the little girl shouted, “I have much more to say.”
“Go away little one. We don’t care about you,”
The people all jeered like beasts out of a zoo.
And in her chair, the little girl sat.

She looked at the people all clapping and cheering,
And into her mind one thought kept reappearing.
“Your moms all chose you. Ever think about that?
Or is it just for abortion that you yell, whoop, and clap?
I speak for the voiceless that you all call choices.

I have a body and it started quite small.
It started before you could see me at all.
My heart started beating before you knew I was there.
If you heard it, you’d know that and hopefully care.
When I hear your voice, my own soul rejoices.”

“We’ve cut to commercial,” a loud voice did boom.
And the little girl decided that she’d leave the room.
She left all the people dressed in glitter and glitz,
And shed a small tear for the joy that they missed.
There’s hope in the world, but we all must look for it.

If we all tried just a bit harder, she knew that we could
Find a home for each baby, like God told us we should.
Moms would get every last thing they needed,
And dads would play roles that right now they’ve ceded.
The answer is there, but so many ignore it.

The camera panned past the girl’s empty chair
They were quick to forget she had ever been there.