The Doll Dances

Just like a dancing doll in a box,

I dance — and I dance, and dance.

My ribbons shimmer under borrowed light,

My smile stitched tight by chance.

My dress is grace, my cage is gold,

And yet I move, as I am told.

Forever sealed within this trance,

The world winds me up — and I dance.

There’s no escape from this world called Shield,

Its edges soft, its core concealed.

I spin and spin, till night meets noon,

To the same old, tired tune.

I smile on the surface, my pain unseen,

My heart still cracks beneath the sheen.

And so I dance — I dance anew,

For that’s what a doll must do.