Empty Calories Of Fame

I’m chasing clout
on an empty stomach
living for likes
while my self stays thin

Every ping
another sugar rush
that leaves me weak again

Ring light burning my retinas
in a room that never sees the sun
rehearse the same fake laugh again
till it sounds like everyone

I crop the mess out of the background
smooth the lines out of my face
sell a polished little moment
while I’m rotting in this place

Refresh that number at the bottom
like it’s hooked into my veins
little hearts float up the screen
while something colder still remains

I tell them “living my best life”
with a grin that isn’t real
then eat instant noodles standing up
too wired to even feel

Brand deal in my inbox
asking me to fake a better home
hold this product
sell this smile
make their numbers foam

They pay me in discount codes
and promises of “future reach”
while my rent climbs higher
than the slogans
they want me to preach

Friends become statistics
in the backend of my mind
if your page goes quiet too long
the algorithm leaves you behind

So I post another reel of nothing
put a filter on my dread
watch the comments say they love me
none of them know
where I rest my head

I used to write in notebooks
just to hear my own thoughts ring
now I trim every truth
to fit a screen-friendly thing

They say “just be authentic”
with a script behind their eyes
while they test which angle
of my pain gets more replies

Mama calls asking
how I’m getting by
I tell her “things are going great”
and change the subject with a lie

She doesn’t see the drafts folder
full of posts I never share
where I almost tell the truth
and then remember
they don’t care

One night I kill the ring light
and sit quiet in the dark
no front camera
no rehearsed pose
just my heartbeat
and its mark

I wonder if I disappeared
from every feed and every page
would anyone feel that silence
or just scroll on past my pen