Norma’s shoes

I smile and wave. The cameras
flash
into my eyes
from the corner of my eye.

Perfectly styled, blonde hair,
bounces with every step,
invading my vision.
The tips of my eyelashes,
flutter 
like a cabbage white butterfly.
Cheeks glow with a dusting of rouge. 

Everything
bigger, better.
I can no longer see what is underneath.
I can no longer see the Original.

Flawless pumps carry me across the crimson walkway.
Toes ache,
heels burn.
Step, smile, wave.
Step, smile, wave.

This was my dream,
to be here,
to be showered in mountains of attention,
to be an actress.
I did not anticipate what had to be done
in order to climb the social ladder.

Party after party,
man after man.
Sharp wit dulled,
disguised behind a pretty girl’s smile.
Whatever it takes to shine like a star.

I am where I always dreamed,
where I worked so hard to be.
But what was lost in the process?
What did I lose along the pathway to fame?
The woman in my mirror is a stranger.

Is this really what I wanted? 
What I worked so hard to achieve?
Was the choice of abandoning the Original for a better model
virtuous?
Even I don’t know anymore.
You all call her Marilyn.
But do you know who I was before?